Automaton
by Evelos
Summary: Metal and flesh, bound together to form an ethereal guise. How much can be scraped away before only a machine remains? AU.
1. Chapter 1

Heeled footsteps echoed over the cobblestone while rainwater pattered away against the shingled rooftops above. A woman slunk along the alleyway, cloaked in an artificial shadow.

"Are you sure about this, Light?"

Lightning reached for her ear, adjusting the slim, metal communicator that lay hidden just beneath her hair. "Hope, trust me." She let her hands fall to her sides, and her fingers twitched, covered by a pair of sleek, red gloves. "It's nothing we haven't faced before."

Hope fell silent for a moment, before an audible sigh crackled over the line. "But, what if she's still-"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Then we'll adjust accordingly." She slipped out from the shadows, donning a calm, steady stance. "I'm going in."

Tall, grandiose pillars soon awaited her, stretching up into awning that lay above the front courtyard of a large mansion. Lightning made her way down the path, her head held high as she slipped into the crowd, soon standing before a wide set of open doors.

"Invitation, please."

Lightning slipped a bundle of folded bills into the guard's hand, before she strode through the doorway.

"Have a wonderful evening, ma'am."

Lightning bit back a smirk. "Of course." She paused within the entryway, steeling her expression, before she wove her way into the crowd of colorful gowns, swirling dancers all oblivious to her presence as she slipped though the masses.

"Hey, Light? I'm getting a little interference, but I don't think-" Hope's voice was muffled by static for a moment, but it soon evened out with a short whine. "Light, can you still hear me?"

Lightning whispered in confirmation as she reached for a pastry tray.

"Are you... Eating something?" Hope tried to hold back a laugh. "Taking advantage of the freebies, huh?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes with a quiet hiss. "Blending." She kept her voice to a whisper, barely moving her lips. "What, you want a doggy bag?"

Hope chuckled. "If you can smuggle it back, sure."

Lightning glanced down at her dress, and she rolled her eyes at the flowing red fabric. "Not happening."

"Ah..." Hope paused for a moment. "Pizza it is, then."

"Good luck getting delivery to the Ark." Lightning smiled to herself while she reached for another bit of food, slowly nibbling at the strange combination of fish and savory caramel sauce. "You should have come down with me if you wanted to eat..."

"And miss out on overseeing the entire mission in meticulous, backbreaking detail?" Hope let out a sigh, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone. "Not a chance... Hey, just how much are you planning to eat, there?"

Lightning held back a scowl while she bit down on a tiny square of cake. "I missed dinner for this, so s_hush_."

Hope let out a quiet laugh, but he soon drifted back into silence once more.

Lightning glanced around at the milling crowds, and her gaze soon paused upon the dance floor; a soft tune carried itself over the ballroom, and Lightning found herself focusing on the low vibrations of string instruments.

"The music sounds nice." Hope paused for a moment. "So, are you going to-

"Damn." Lightning looked up from a small piece of food. "This is _damn_ good steak."

A soft breath hit her neck, but Lightning kept still, even when a deep, quiet laugh brushed up against her ear. "I'll give your compliments to the chef."

"...Shit."

Another chuckle. "Nice to see you _too_, Hope."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, but she reached over to pick up another piece of bite-sized steak, before she turned around to hold it beside her lips. "Been a while, hasn't it?"

Green eyes caught blue, and a tiny smirk played over the mouth below. "Lightning."

Lightning raised a single eyebrow, chewing at the piece of steak, before she flicked away the paper that had held the food in place. "Fang." Lightning found herself staring at the mechanical collar that lay half-hidden beneath Fang's undershirt.

Fang kept her hands resting beside her waist; her fingers were folded together in an elegant pose. "A while, huh?"

Lightning swallowed, and she slowly dipped her head to the side. "Too long."

Fang held out one of her arms. "Dance with me." She narrowed her eyes when Lightning looked away, and Fang took a step forward to grasp at her hand. "Just let me take the lead; you'll be fine."

Lightning held Fang's gaze for a long moment, before she allowed herself to be led out to the dance floor.

Fang couldn't help but grin. "So... How've you been?" She began to move in time with the music, holding up one of Lightning's hands with her own in a regal stance. "Haven't seen much of your little troupe, lately."

Lightning nearly snarled. "How's it been, working for_ them?_" She kept her voice to a whisper, but Fang winced at her tone. "I thought better of you."

Fang maintained her posture, unyielding as she picked up their pace, and she quickly drew Lightning into a skintight position. "My hands are _tied_..." She smiled, leaning in close. "You know that better than anyone."

Lightning only exhaled, but she soon glanced over at a raised platform that towered high above the dance floor. "Funny thing, about ties..." Her gaze slid back to Fang, before Lighting sucked in a sharp, yet quiet breath. "They can always be _cut_."

Fang continued to sway with the music, but she raised a single, elegant eyebrow. "You wouldn't..."

Lightning tried not to smile. "Would I?" She dipped away, mere seconds before Fang caught her by the small of her back, and she lowered her eyelids. "You know me better than anyone."

Fang held her in place for a moment, gazing down at the flushed skin of Lightning's face, before she swallowed. "That I do..." She pulled her back up just as fast, and Lightning hissed when a pair of handcuffs clicked at her side.

Lightning struggled to keep her voice low, flexing her wrist against the metal. "Damn it, Fang!"

Fang only smiled as she held their linked hands aloft, leading them back into the gentle rhythm. "Just be glad that they haven't noticed you, yet..." She swung them both around, slowly leaning forward to graze her lips along the back of Lightning's neck. "Or that pretty little head of yours would already be tumbling around on the floor."

Lightning laughed through her teeth. "I'd like to see them try."

Fang chuckled as well, before she pulled away to twirl them back into slow, calculated circles. "Give 'em a show, huh?" She smiled, but Fang kept a tight hold of Lightning's hands. "It'd be suicide."

Lighting raised her brow. "You have such little faith."

Fang pulled her close. "Faith... Faith gets you killed." She brushed her mouth against Lightning's cheek, smiling when she shivered. "Just look at your sister."

Lightning froze, and her grip tightened around Fang's fingers. "She's _not_ dead."

Fang's expression sobered as she brought them back into a slow, circling pace. "Light..." She glanced at the floor, and her lips twitched into a frown. "I'm not gonna even try to convince you, here." Fang's pace slowed even further, running her fingers over Lightning's knuckles. "I _really_ don't want to have to fight you, either."

Lightning looked aside, but she met Fang's gaze after a moment. "Me neither."

Fang exhaled when the music began to slow. "How about you just run along back to your little hideout... Leave without a fuss?"

Lightning glanced at her wrist, which was still cuffed to Fang's arm. "We seem rather attached."

Fang let out a quiet laugh. "Well, you know what they say about ties..."

Lightning's heart skipped a beat, but she froze at the sound of echoing footsteps, and she turned around as the entire hall fell silent.

Fang narrowed her eyes at the balcony. "Lovely."

Lightning kept still, but her breath grew short. "Fang." She curled her fingers into a fist. "Let me _go_."

Fang only watched as a masked, robed figure stepped out beside the railing, standing tall above the banquet chamber.

Lightning winced when her earpiece let out a soft screech, and she attempted to wriggle out of Fang's grasp, but she paused when a deep voice rang out over the hall.

"Good evening." The tone was somewhat monotone, yet distinctly human. "I trust that the refreshments have held up to the general standard of-" The voice paused, and the robed figure twitched, slowly leaning forward to gaze down at the people below. "Has the night proved satisfactory?"

A chorus of murmured agreements passed through the crowd, before the masked figure straightened, easing back into a relaxed stance. "Wonderful, we will now-"

Fang leapt at a gunshot, yanking both herself and Lightning to the floor as a sudden wave of panic erupted over the masses. Lightning landed with a grunt, and she jerked back against the handcuffs, dragging Fang along with her as she struggled to make her way out of the stampede of dancers.

A distant voice managed to break out above the clamor. "Light, let's get _out_ of here!"

Lightning hissed, grunting when a stray foot collided with her stomach. "___Working_ on it!" She glanced up at the balcony, before a small, tentative smile spread over her face. "He did it..."

Fang followed her gaze, and her heart began to race when the masked figure toppled over the railing, colliding against the floor with a sickening crack. Returning fire exploded into the crowd, and panic nearly tripled in mere seconds.

From of the mob of guests, a gloved hand suddenly reached out to pull at Lightning's shoulder. "Best if we get going, now!"

Lightning couldn't help but smile. "Mean shot, old man..."

Fang's lips parted with a breathy laugh. "Sazh?! I thought-"

Sazh held up a pistol in his hand, firing back at the guards along the balcony, but he winced when an answering shot grazed his shoulder. "We can have this conversation later!"

Lightning nodded as she raced to her feet, but Fang remained on her knees.

"I _can't_, and you know it!" Fang glanced over at the fallen figure, grimacing as her gaze lingered upon the mixture of blood, as well as a strange, glowing liquid that began to seep out over the marble. "Not unless..."

Sazh dashed over toward the fallen body, and he ducked beneath a barrage of bullets to snatch a up pass-card from the jacket of the corpse, before he somewhat hobbled back into the crowd. "Let's go, ladies!"

Lightning dragged Fang to her feet, but not before she caught hold of the card from Sazh, quickly sliding it against the collar on Fang's neck, to which the hinges snapped open, and the metal fell to the ground with a clattering chime.

"Crazy _bastard..!_" Fang gripped at Sazh's shoulder while they raced out into the hallway, wheeling away from a storm of oncoming bullets. "Both of you!" She laughed, shaking her head. "Absolutely nuts..."

"We got the job done, didn't we?" Lightning hissed under her breath when a blockade of soldiers ran into sight; uniformed figures were already firing out into the crowd ahead of them. "Hope, can you find us a way out of here?"

"Yeah, just a moment..." The sound of rustling paper crackled over the line; the volume had raised to the point where they could all hear it clearly. "All of you, head to the west entrance!"

Fang raised a single eyebrow while they narrowly avoided an oncoming rush of gunmen. "_All_ of you?"

Sazh cracked a grin as he raced into the crowd, Lightning in tow. Fang followed after them, simultaneously rummaging through her pockets for the key to the handcuffs, but it slipped from her fingers when Lightning ducked behind cover.

"Wait!" Fang reached back for the key, but she recoiled when a barrage of gunfire opened upon her hand, drawing back with a hiss.

Lightning dragged them both further along through the hall. "We don't have time to stop!"

Fang rolled her eyes, yanking at the cuffs. "Well then, I hope _you_ have a plan to get us out of these!" She darted away at the sound of rapid footsteps, pulling Lightning along with her. "Sazh, the west entrance is this way!"

Sazh lingered to return fire for a moment, before he followed after Fang. "Right behind you..." He snapped his twin pistols together to unleash a barrage of concentrated fire, laughing when their pursuers began to run in the opposite direction.

Lightning pushed though a doorway, but she stopped short within an outdoor courtyard, and her eyes widened.

"You have become quite the nuisance." A tall figure stepped forth from within a crowd of gunmen; mechanical eyes stared out at them from beneath a domed hood. "You will be removed."

Lightning hissed under her breath. "Like we were 'removed', last time?" She narrowed her eyes, ripping one of her gloves away to reveal a sleek, mechanical arm. "Humans are tougher than we look!"

"Resilient, yes..." The figure shifted as wire tendrils began to snake out from beneath his flowing robes. "But _not_ immortal."

"Neither are you!" A glowing fist crashed down upon the hooded figure, and a tall man let out a bellowing laugh at the surrounding machines; his jacket seemingly began to absorb all impact of the sudden gunfire.

Fang's eyes widened. "Snow? You son of a bitch!" She smiled at him, simultaneously dashing away from the oncoming spray of bullets. "Thought you were dead!"

Snow leaned back, slamming his heel down on the screeching machine. "Not yet, I'm not..." He ran over to follow them, and he held out his jacket to shield their path from the barrage of gunfire. "Good to see you, Fang!"

Fang glanced over at Snow's arms while they ran along the cobblestone path, and she raised an eyebrow at the wires running beneath his skin. "Looks like you've gotten some 'upgrades'..."

Lightning snorted as she reached for the handcuffs, and her mechanical fingers began to slowly pry apart the chain. "Not by choice, really." She rubbed along her wrist, carefully slipping a finger beneath the metal band. "I'm not sure if I can break this section without bloodshed."

Fang shrugged. "At least we aren't so attached, huh?" She paused to catch her breath after a moment, turning back to glance at the gardens. "So... We're getting out of here?"

Lightning took a step forward, and she waited for Fang to meet her gaze. "If you'll join us, yeah." Her lips slowly twitched into a smile. "But if you need persuasion..." Lightning held out her hand. "Serah's not dead..." She took a deep breath. "And neither is Vanille."

Fang's breath caught, standing in silence for a moment, before she clasped Lightning's hand with her own, and a wide grin spread across her face. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Lightning stepped out upon the street, her gaze shifting back and forth between the cobblestone, and the muted streetlights that lay beside it. "Looks quiet..." She turned, gesturing at the road. "We should be able to call them from here."

Sazh nodded, and he held out his arm, pulling back his sleeve to reveal an octagonal device inlaid along his wrist. "Let's see..." He turned a dial upon the machinery, and a soft hum sounded after a moment, echoing about the area.

Fang walked out to stand beside them. "The Ark is still..?"

Snow spoke up from the sidewalk, leaning against a lamppost. "It's a new place, but yeah." He glanced out over the street. "The name stuck."

Lightning began to pick at the cuff around her wrist, and her brow furrowed. "Hope, you've got the ethereals on standby, right?" She reached up to pull the communicator down from her ear.

Hope's voice crackled out from the tiny device. "No, but I can get them up and online if you need me to."

Lightning looked up to witness a soft glow, which began to intensify along the horizon of the street. "I'd appreciate it." She stepped out into the road, before she narrowed her eyes at a dwindling meter inlaid upon the communicator. "The battery on this end is running low; I'll contact you again if we run into any trouble."

"Okay... See you soon, then." Hope fell silent.

The telltale thrum of mechanical beings began to echo about the street, and Fang's eyes widened at the approaching group of twinkling lights.

Lightning moved the communicator back to rest behind her ear. "Well, we just have one more stop to make..." A tiny smile tugged at her lips, and she raised her hand to wave at the approaching figures. "Then it's back to the Ark."

Fang inhaled, holding her breath for a moment. "Hey..." She took a step forward, and her shoulders nearly began to shake. "Haven't seen _you_ since-" Fang closed her eyes, slowly wrapping her arms around the neck of a mechanical creature. "Damn it, Bahamut..."

The creature began to hum at Fang's touch, while purple lights flickered beneath his black, metal overcoat. Bahamut stood quadrupedal, with a sleek, streamlined body, and his sturdy limbs tapered down into orange claws. His broad head narrowed out into a horse-like face, albeit possessing a jagged mouth, along with several translucent, tooth-shaped blades.

After a moment, Fang pulled back from the embrace, and she brushed a bit of moisture from her eyes. "It's good to see you, sweetheart."

Lightning nodded down at Fang from atop her own saddle. "We fixed him up... I guess his memory is more intact than we thought."

Fang glanced over at her, and she soon smiled at the white creature that Lightning sat upon. "Looks like Odin's in good shape, too." Fang held out her hand, slowly placing it against the creature's golden snout. "Aren't you, buddy?"

Odin trilled in response, while his hoof-like feet paced at the cobblestone.

Fang chuckled at the machine, but she winced when Bahamut nudged just a bit too roughly at her side. She reached over to pet him as well, before she glanced over at another mechanical creature. "Hey, Snow?"

Snow looked up from the saddle of his own mount; both his hands and waist were enveloped by a soft, gray glow. "Yeah?"

"Is that Stiria, or Nix?" Fang tilted her head to the side, before she hauled herself up to sit upon Bahamut's back. "It's hard to tell in this light..."

Snow took a deep breath. "Oh... It's Stiria." Gazing down at the blue and white creature, he ran a hand over the interlocking framework; each metal link created a network of diamond-shaped patterns that ran along the body of the machine. "Nix... Nix is with Serah."

Fang stilled for a moment, before she held up her hands, slowly drawing out a soft, purple light from within Bahamut. "Let's talk along the way, then." The glowing light began to wrap itself around her waist, stabilizing her body while Bahamut moved up to nudge at Odin's side.

Sazh led his mount forward as well. "After you... Brynhildr's still due for a bit of repair, so we're taking it slow."

Fang chuckled at that; Brynhildr was a red and black monster of a machine, yet she held a certain elegance to her stride, and her golden eyes came alight in the darkened street, snorting at Sazh's insinuation.

"Hey!" Sazh clicked his tongue, and he waved his hands to adjust the orange, ethereal light that hovered around his waist and legs. "No shame in resting up, missy."

Brynhildr paced back and forth for a moment, before she tossed her head up with a screech, and the golden tassels along her neck clattered against each other.

Sazh sighed, and he leaned down to pat along Brynhildr's shoulders, before they started off down the street. Odin took the lead with a quiet leap, and his spindly golden legs easily settled into a steady pace.

Lightning rolled her eyes, pulling back at the pink light that had surrounded her hands. "Easy, now... No racing, tonight." She began to guide Odin down into a side-street, before she glanced up at their surroundings.

The city towered high above them, sporting colorful buildings that arced up in winding rows. Each building sported glittering lights that cast a gentle glow against the night sky, while several narrow bridges crisscrossed over the city, supported by thin, glass-like beams that lay scattered about in a web of light and color.

Lightning glanced back over her shoulder. "So... I'd bet you have a lot of questions for us."

Fang nodded. "You say that Vanille's alive."

Lightning took a deep breath.

Sazh spoke up from beside Fang. "They're... Definitely not _dead_, but-" He exhaled, shaking his head.

Fang narrowed her eyes. "But _what?_"

Lightning chewed at her bottom lip, and her fingers curled up beside Odin's saddle. "It would be better for you to see for yourself." She closed her eyes for a moment, squinting in thought. "Hope tried to explain it, but the variables..." Lightning hissed though her teeth. "They're in constant flux."

Fang crossed her arms, but she nodded after a moment. "Alright."

Lightning opened her eyes, turning slightly to meet Fang's gaze. "We've got them stabilized, at least." She looked back at the road ahead. "Do you remember the box that Hope found on one of the commanders?"

Fang shrugged. "Kiddo was always picking up weird stuff; what about it?"

Snow spoke up. "It wasn't just a box." He brought Stiria forward to walk beside Bahamut. "It was... Some sort of key, from what he's said."

Fang raised a single eyebrow. "A key to what?"

Lightning steered Odin into a small plaza, and she soon dismounted with a sigh. "Not what... _Where_." She narrowed her eyes. "Valhalla." Lightning glanced over her shoulder, before she nodded at a storefront. "I'll be just a minute." She made her way over to the sidewalk, quietly walking up into the tiny building.

Sazh stretched out his arms with a sigh. "We've almost got it open again, too..." He smiled up at the night sky; the lights of the city were slowly flickering against the clouds, which cast a gentle glow upon the streets below. Sazh blinked at the sight, his eyes half-lidded. "It's like a gate, in some ways."

Snow patted along Stiria's neck. "Hey, Fang..." His eyes narrowed, and his free hand tightened into a fist. "Wanna guess why we crashed their little party?"

Fang thought for a moment. "Well, I'm guessing your target was 'twitchy', back there..." She nodded at Sazh. "Maybe I was an added bonus?" Fang tried to grin, but her face felt stiff, and a restless sensation began to churn in her stomach.

Sazh shook his head. "More like the other way around." He closed his eyes. "We need _you_, Fang; Vanille's in there with the rest of them, and Hope thinks it's gonna take a combined push to get them all back."

Fang grit her teeth. "It's just... The last time I saw you-" She rounded on Sazh, sliding down from Bahamut's saddle to stare him in the eye. "You weren't _breathing_, Sazh!" Fang looked over her shoulder. "And don't even think I've forgotten what _you_ did."

Snow paled a bit. "Hey! Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Fang hissed through her teeth, ignoring the gentle touch of Bahamut's snout against her shoulder. "It's still not a reason to-" She shook her head. "This... This just doesn't seem real."

"That's probably the adrenaline wearing off..." Sazh pulled back his sleeve. "Fang, listen to me." He waited until she met his gaze. "Valhalla... It _is_ a place, just not really physical." Sazh touched at the wiring beneath his wrist. "You ever wonder where those bastards came from? Not just the machines themselves, but the brains behind it?"

Fang stood in silence, and her brow knit with a frown.

Snow took a deep breath. "Valhalla."

Fang exhaled, before she began to pace back and forth. "So, what you're saying..." Her legs suddenly felt weighted, but Fang soon pulled herself up to rest on Bahamut's back. "Where _are_ they, exactly? Serah and Vanille."

Sazh frowned. "Dajh, too." He traced over the pin that was attached to the collar of his jacket. "They're in Valhalla."

Fang thought for a moment. "They died."

Snow nodded.

Fang narrowed her eyes. "Before ending up in this 'Valhalla'."

Sazh smiled to himself.

Fang looked between them, and her eyes widened. "You found a way back..."

"The three of us."

Fang looked down to see Lightning, who was handing up a flat, cardboard box to Snow.

Lightning let out a long sigh, before she pulled herself up to Odin's saddle. "Hope sent out a beacon... It was able to help us find our way out again."

"Wait, what?!" Fang's mouth opened slightly, while she narrowed her eyes. "You _died_, Light?"

Lightning straightened herself atop of Odin, but she refused to meet Fang's gaze. "It was the only way to bring them back." She grit her teeth. "I found them... Deep in that mess, I _found_ them." Lightning gently kicked at Odin's sides, urging him forward. "But I wasn't strong enough to get everyone out."

Fang sat in silence for a moment, and she blinked when a raindrop splashed atop her head. "They're still in there..."

Snow gestured for Stiria to follow after Odin, and his voice was a near whisper. "We can't rush into this, though." He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the wiring beneath his skin. "Our bodies... Hope and Light were able to put them in stasis, but it wasn't enough."

Lightning's mechanical hand tightened into a fist. "We _all_ paid a price..." She shook her head. "But we need to focus, not reminisce." Lightning leaned forward, signaling for Odin to pick up the pace, to which he immediately broke off into a jaunty run. After the others had somewhat caught up, she called back over the rain. "Long story short... Fang, we'd been planning to free you for months, and we're going to need your help."

Fang urged Bahamut to match Odin's stride, and the pair had soon forged a good distance ahead of both Stiria and Brynhildr. "Light!" Fang leaned forward to meet her gaze. "What's all this about your arm?"

Lightning looked away. "The jump... It's taxing." She narrowed her eyes at the road, as well as the raindrops that were pattering away against her skin. "And it's not just my arm."

Fang's breath caught when Lightning turned back to face her. "Oh..."

Glowing, blue wisps of energy swirled about Lightning's eye sockets, shining through the rain. She blinked after a moment, but the glow persisted. "We lose bits of ourselves." Lightning closed her eyes, and her irises flickered through her skin. "We think that Valhalla can't interpret them very well, because they eventually stop working."

Fang took a deep breath. "So you replace it with machinery..."

Lightning nodded, opening her eyes. "From Valhalla." She narrowed her eyes for a moment, before she opened them again to reveal their former state. "These aren't even real... They just look it."

"But you can still see?" Fang asked, "I mean... It's pretty clear that you can navigate, at least."

Lightning blinked. "It's similar to vision, yes." She looked back at the street, before she motioned for Odin to slow back into a walk. "I can pick up energy signals, now."

Fang smiled a bit. "Must come in handy."

Lightning nodded, and she pulled Odin to a stop within a grassy side-street, gazing up at the empty archway before them. "Sazh and Snow should catch up, soon."

Fang nodded as well. "The Ark, huh?"

Lightning smiled a bit. "Up we go."

* * *

Hope twisted a dial, tapping his fingertips along the desktop as his eyes scanned the translucent screen laid out before him. "Ethereals at seventy-five percent function... Bhakti, can you test it out?"

A small, orange machine crawled up to sit within a larger, box-like contraption. "I am reading the same results... Testing a simple fissure."

Hope nodded. "From what it sounded like, we just need to get through a little bit of metal." He watched as Bhakti held out a piece of scrap-metal, inching the bar beneath a thin, glowing beam of energy.

After a moment, Bhakti pulled back the metal, revealing that it had cracked into two pieces. "It appears functional."

Hope jumped at a ringing sound, and he rolled his chair over to pull at a lever beside a metal door. "Light!" He smiled up at her, as well as the flat box that had been pushed into his lap. "You remembered!"

Lightning smiled a bit while she gently shoved Hope away by his forehead. "I'll be back in a moment." She hissed under her breath, striding over to walk up a thin flight of stairs. "Need to get out of this damn dress..."

Fang bit back a comment, although she couldn't help but waggle her eyebrows at Lightning, who rolled her non-existent eyes in response.

Snow sat down on a rolling chair, and he pulled back his gloves to reveal a set of mechanical hands. "Hope, I think a couple of plates got fractured, back there."

Hope looked up from a slice of pizza, rolling over his own chair to inspect Snow's knuckles. "Wow... What the heck did you punch?"

Snow grinned, flexing his arm. "Something _nasty_; high quality tech by the look of him."

Hope frowned, and he reached for a pair of pliers that lay upon the desk. "Yup, you're going to need replacements." He rolled his chair over to rummage through his desk. "Nice to see you, Fang."

Fang looked up from the various scrolling screens that were arranged in a semi-circle around Hope's desk. "Same here, kiddo." She took a step forward, and her face was soon illuminated by the glow of each monitor. "I'd like to see Vanille."

Hope froze, and stray piece of metal nearly fell from his hands. "Have they explained-"

Fang shrugged. "They tried to, but I don't care either way." She looked Hope in the eye. "I want to see her."

Hope kept silent for a moment. "That would... Depend on your definition of 'seeing'." He took a deep breath. "I can show you after I finish with Snow's repairs, or Sazh can..."

Sazh nodded, waving Fang over to a hallway. "Just don't kill the messenger, okay?"

Fang grit her teeth. "Are they far?"

Sazh shook his head. "Well... Again, that would depend on your definition." He walked into a side-room, before he gestured at a group of three, rectangular objects, each with a sheet draped over the surface. "Furthest to the left."

Fang listened to Sazh's footsteps as he walked away, before she turned to face the center of the room. "Well." She lowered her voice a whisper, slowly walking up to kneel before the shape that Sazh had indicated, before she gently pulled back the sheet. "Oh, Vanille..."

Vanille's eyes were closed in a peaceful way, and her head was tipped back slightly to rest against a small pillow. Several tubes of flowing liquid were attached to run beneath her wrists, but her skin was pale and weathered.

Fang's eyes fell shut, and she shook her head. "Hey, kiddo." She placed a hand upon the glass between them. "I'm gonna get you back, so don't worry..." Her voice cracked, but she continued despite the hot prick of tears upon her face. "Just... Hold on."

* * *

She stared out at the sea of twisting gray, while her hair floated beside her head, nearly entangled among a swarm of ethereal wires.

"Vanille?"

Vanille blinked, and she slowly reached out for a red and green machine that lay off in the distance. "Serah... I can't see you anymore."

Serah kept silent for a while, before her voice echoed about the area in a low whisper. "I can't, either." She tried to inhale, but her lungs nearly refused to break a steady, constant rhythm. "Do you-" Serah paused. "No, I can see you, now."

Vanille looked back and forth as her hand touched upon the snout of the red and green creature. "I can only see Hecaton." She smiled up at the machine, and she traced her fingers over the dark green metal, which spiraled out into several tubes and wires, running the length of Hecatoncheir's spindly form.

Serah hummed to herself. "Dajh is with us... Can you see him?"

Vanille glanced around. "No..." She blinked, frowning when her vision began to blur, and her hands seemingly melded with the metal surface before her very eyes. "Serah!" Vanille whipped her head around, her eyes wide. "Something's wrong!"

"Vanille?" Serah's voice was high, and her breath grew short. "I can barely hear you!"

Vanille shook her head, clutching at her face. "I don't know." She blinked rapidly, but soon, she could see nothing at all. "I don't know..."


	3. Chapter 3

Lightning smoothed out the wrinkles from her shirt as she walked down the stairs. "It's real late, Hope." She grabbed for a slice of pizza, before she leaned back against the wall to take a bite. "Don't stay up much longer."

Hope glanced up from the screen that he had been inspecting, nodding after a moment. "I know... I just feel better keeping track of them."

Lightning's expression softened, and she walked over to gaze at the display. "Have they drifted far?"

Hope shook his head. "Still stable... But I'm worried about deterioration." He pulled up an image of fractured skin, and Lightning nearly looked away.

"We _can't_ rush the gate." Hope exhaled, his hands lingering upon the keyboard. "But if we don't get in there, soon..."

Lightning grit her teeth. "I know." She moved to sit down on one of the rolling chairs. "Get some rest, though." Lightning narrowed her eyes. "No more all-nighters... Not like before."

Hope grinned to himself. "What happened to 'no distractions'?"

Lightning kicked the back of Hope's chair. "Bed."

Hope rolled his eyes, and he stood up with a wince. "Alright, alright..." He closed the box of pizza, before he walked with it into an adjacent room. "The ethereals are ready, by the way."

Lightning sat up straight in her chair, she rolled it over to sit beside a thin beam of energy. "It's already set to organics?"

Hope glanced back from the kitchen. "Yeah, but you should double-check it, just to be safe." The sound of a refrigerator door closing echoed out from behind the wall. "Bhakti, can you take a look?"

Lightning watched as the tiny, orange robot rolled himself across the desk, before he used a set of mechanical arms to climb up the side of the larger machine.

Bhakti hummed for a moment. "Organic life to be left intact." He turned, facing Lightning. "Please proceed."

Lightning adjusted the handcuff upon her wrist, before she slowly positioned it beneath the beam of light. "It always feels-" She winced when the metal began to fray. "Weird."

Bhakti leaned over to examine Lightning's hand. "The ethereal signal is processing your flesh in order to discriminate between it and the metal." He extended a pair of swiveling, mechanical eyes. "I would assume that the sensation is... As you say, 'weird'."

Lightning pulled her hand away from the beam, and with a short clang, the cuff landed at the base of the contraption. "I think I'd rather not know the specifics."

Bhakti crawled down into the box to pick up the broken cuff. "As you wish." He crawled back out, before he tossed the metal into a bin. "Do let me know if you change your mind; ethereal energy is quite fascinating."

Hope walked out from the kitchen. "Goodnight."

Bhakti waved at him, before he crawled over to rest within a changing station that lay upon the desk.

Lightning took another bite of pizza, twisting her free hand to examine her wrist. She looked up after a moment, and her gaze slowly focused on the figure that had leaned silently against the doorway. "Fang."

Fang looked down at the floor; one foot swiveled on her heel, and her brow was knit with a frown. "When can we start?"

Lightning took a deep breath. "It's not so simple..." She turned to face the monitors. "Come here and I'll show you."

After a moment, Fang pushed off from the door frame, striding over to stand beside Lightning.

Lightning's fingers navigated a touch pad, and her eyes tracked the various movements of a grid-like interface. "They've settled somewhere in this area." She pointed at a series of colored markers. "Like I said, we have them stabilized, but Valhalla... It changes."

Fang watched as the grid began to shift, twisting in on itself. "How the _hell_ do you navigate something like that?"

Lightning frowned. "You don't." She altered the display to show a video screen. "This is from when I went in."

Fang's eyes widened at the image of snaking corridors, while muffled sounds, namely mechanical clicks and whines echoed out from the speakers. "It looks..." Fang shook her head. "_Alive_."

A white blur suddenly entered the display, racing out into Lightning's previous line of vision. "Odin... He followed me." She leaned back in her chair. "Not sure how he managed it, but Hope said that he disappeared after I went in."

Fang blinked as the blur materialized into a horse-like machine, which walked forward to nuzzle at the camera. "Who knows? He's probably got a connection with the place."

Lightning nodded. "Nix and Hecatoncheir are still in there, we assume." She took another bite of pizza, chewing with thought. "From what we can see, they've all stayed relatively close to each other."

Fang leaned forward to examine a red streak on the screen, and her lips twitched when Brynhildr crashed through the wall of wires, snorting at Odin, all while carrying the unconscious form of Sazh on her back. "You said something about a gate."

Lightning nodded. "It's not entirely physical, either." She held up her free hand, positioning her fingers to indicate a few inches of length. "It's more of a conduit... Small, but symbolic." Lightning glanced over at the doorway. "If it's active, and at full power, it redirects our consciousness into Valhalla."

Fang thought for a moment. "So it's not... An afterlife, then?"

Lightning shook her head. "It's the only reason that they ended up there in the first place..." Her mechanical hand tightened into a fist. "They must've had an active one, somewhere in that _pit_."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "Still looking to settle the score?"

Lightning smirked after a moment, but her gaze was sharp. "After we get everyone back... Sure." She glanced up at Fang. "We think that the conduit explains why they haven't decomposed, you know." Lightning closed her eyes. "Hope and I went through the..." She bit her lip, shaking her head. "We found them, together; they seemed to be dead, but intact."

Fang took a seat, and she positioned her chair to sit across from Lightning. "Hey... It's alright." She placed her hands over the arms of Lightning's chair. "We have a way to fix this, now."

Lightning nodded, steeling herself. "This stays between us..."

After a moment, Fang nodded as well.

Lightning took a deep breath. "I'm not-" She opened her eyes. "There's something else."

Fang's eyes widened slightly.

* * *

Serah glanced about the area, and her breath grew short. "Dajh, can you hear me?"

The little boy nodded, but he was far more interested in the tiny yellow machine that was hovering about his hands.

Serah inhaled, her lungs shuddering with each breath. "Vanille?"

Vanille tipped her head back, and Serah's breath caught when Vanille's eyes began to glow, revealing a soft, green light that flickered from within.

Serah narrowed her eyes, but she could only make out a faint whisper of what Vanille attempted to say. "I can't..." Serah paused when an odd sensation scratched at the back of her mind, and she closed her eyes.

_How would a machine speak?_

Serah jumped at the 'voice', and she turned around, only to find the cold, blue eyes of Nix staring deep into her own.

Nix raised her front leg, before she tapped her hoof-like foot against a floating sheet of metallic cloth.

Serah slowly closed her eyes once more, and she began to envision a rapid series of lights and signals; her mind raced to keep up with the barrage of information that began to bleed throughout her consciousness, while packets of numbers rushed back and forth within her thoughts. She clutched at her head, but after a while, the pain subsided, and Serah soon realized that all she needed was a single word.

She opened her eyes. _Vanille._

Vanille turned around, and her eyes widened with a thrumming, green energy. _Serah?_

Serah smiled to herself.

* * *

Fang took a deep breath, leaning forward against the railing, while her hair fluttered in the breeze. "So... You can talk to them."

Lightning gazed down at the cityscape, wisps of blue energy trailing out from her eye sockets. "I wouldn't call it 'talking'." She blinked at the streets below; the city was still bustling in the dead of night. "It's more like... Instant messaging? You should have heard all that chatter, back there." Her fingers tightened against the railing. "Extermination, Fang." Lightning suddenly spat off the edge, and she hissed through her teeth. "They think in _numbers;_ how to turn us all against each other in the most efficient way..." She pushed back from the edge, shaking her head. "We don't have much time."

Fang glanced up at the Ark, her eyes half-lidded. "How long will it take to get the gate open?"

Lightning covered her eyes with her wrist. "Weeks... Not including enough power to get us back out again." She stood in silence for a moment, and her breath began to slow. "There _is_ an alternative."

Fang raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the railing. "Go on."

Lightning let her hands fall to her side. "Ethereals... They seem to power _everything_ that comes from Valhalla." She turned to face Fang. "Hope laced our conduit with storage vessels; if we had enough ethereal energy in them..."

Fang's eyes widened. "It would power up faster?"

Lightning nodded. "That's another reason we broke you out, tonight." She paused, before the hint of a smile began to curve over her lips. "Among other things."

Fang smirked. "Well... We need energy, then."

Lightning turned to gaze over the city. "And who has an abundance of ethereal energy?"

Fang's smile faded for a moment, but it returned just as quick. "Good old fashioned smash and grab, huh?"

Lightning smiled back at her. "It _has_ been too long."

* * *

Snow tapped at the plating that lay along his knuckles, his fingers curling upon his palm. He looked out from his window after a moment, and he exhaled at the darkened clouds that rolled past.

_Snow._

His eyes widened, and he sat up straight. "Serah..?"

A sudden clamor rang out through the Ark, and Snow leapt to his feet, racing out into the hall and down the stairs, only to find that Stiria had broken through the front door, flailing about in the command room with a series of wailing cries.

"Easy!" Snow reached for Stiria's snout, and he took a firm, yet gentle hold of the frenzied, sputtering machine. "Calm down, calm down..." Stiria slowly began to relax, and Snow smiled at her. "Did you hear it, too?"

An upper door swung open, and hurried footsteps sounded against the stairs. "Serah?!"

Snow looked up at Lightning. "Sis! You heard it, right?!"

Lightning froze at the base of the stairs. "I'm not-" She paused, her eyes wide. "I heard Serah."

Fang peeked out from behind Lightning's shoulder, and she raised a single eyebrow at the mess that Stiria had made.

Snow couldn't help but laugh, still holding Stiria's muzzle in his hands. "But... The gate's not open!" He glanced over at the monitors, and his eyes widened. "She's found a way to get through?"

A pair of softer footsteps echoed down from a second flight of stairs. "What's going on?" Hope rubbed at the sleep in his eyes. "Did something-" His face began to pale when he spotted the scattered papers that lay around the room.

Snow waved up at Hope. "We heard Serah!" His mouth spread out in a wide smile, and Snow held up a fist. "She's still fighting for us!"

Lightning forced herself to stay calm, but a bubbling sense of excitement began to thrum within her chest, and her fingers twitched upon the railing of the stairs. "Can we... Talk back?" She looked over at Hope. "Have you ever heard of something like this?"

Hope shook his head, but his mouth hung open at the piles of documents that had been strewn across the floor. "I'm... It's hard to say without knowing what it sounded like." He closed his eyes with a sigh. "I'll start investigating it, tomorrow... If that's alright."

Lightning nodded. "Get some rest."

Hope yawned, still shaking his head as he made his way back up the stairs.

Fang maneuvered herself past Lightning to stand within the room. "Bit of excitement, huh?" She gently poked at Stiria's snout. "Guessing that doesn't happen very often, now, does it?"

Stiria's internal lights dimmed a bit, and she looked away from the mess with a mumbling series of chirps.

Snow patted at Stiria's neck. "Don't worry about it; just go get some rest, okay?"

Stiria trilled at that, and she lowered the joints of her legs to fit through the front door, while her hoof-beats echoed out from the Ark's entrance bay.

Snow closed the door with a sigh. "Doesn't know her own strength, that one..." He turned, gazing around at the room, before his gaze locked on Lightning's expression. "Oh, no..."

Lightning kept her chin high. "Your pet, your mess." She waved at the floor, before she walked over to the opposite staircase. "Have it spotless by noon, tomorrow."

Snow groaned, but he knelt down to slowly shovel the mountain of papers into his arms.

Fang attempted to hold back a laugh as she followed after Lightning, and she managed to keep silent until they had walked out of earshot. "Wasn't his fault, you know."

Lightning shrugged. "I never said it was." She paused at the top of the stairs, before she turned to face a wide, tinted window. "If it was Odin, I'd be picking it up." Lightning leaned against the windowsill, gazing down at the city below. "And if it was Bahamut, it would be you."

Fang moved a bit closer, slowly resting her chin against Lightning's shoulder. "I know." She smiled a little, moving her arms around to rest on either side of Lightning's. "I've missed you."

Lightning closed her eyes. "Same here."

Fang exhaled, and she ran her thumb over Lightning's mechanical knuckles. "Everything... It _still_ doesn't feel real, you know?"

Lightning opened her eyes, and her gaze settled on the horizon. "Give it time."


	4. Chapter 4

A small room lay in silence, while filtered moonlight trickled down from the curtains of a thin, narrow window. Footsteps padded along the hall, and the door handle rattled, before a pair of silhouetted figures stumbled through the doorway.

Breaking their kiss with a sigh, Fang pushed the door shut with her heel, leaning forward to wrap her arms around Lightning's waist.

Lightning closed her eyes, and she inhaled, slowly taking in the scent of Fang's neck. "We should be sleeping..."

Fang pressed a series of kisses into Lightning's forehead, humming under her breath. "You always do what you should?" She ran her fingers into Lightning's hair, before she shifted her hips a bit closer. "I missed this, Light."

Lightning sucked in a breath while a familiar sensation curled up within her stomach, her fingers alight upon the skin of Fang's waist. "Same here." She slowly nipped at Fang's throat, gently lingering upon her pulse. "Screw it..." Lightning whispered into her skin. "Let's go."

Fang let out a dark chuckle, and she reached down to grasp beneath Lightning's thighs, to which her legs wrapped around Fang's midsection with a quiet sigh.

Lightning only blinked when her back hit the bed sheets, her eyes half-lidded. "You don't mind-"

Fang silenced her with a crushing kiss, before she pulled back to tug at Lightning's bottom lip with her teeth. "Don't even start."

Lightning's fingers twitched. "Starting to wish it had been my left..." She looked down at the mechanical digits, slowly curling them upon her palm. "You know, for-" She whimpered when a hand stroked beneath her shirt, rising up to squeeze at her breasts. "Fang!"

Fang traced her free hand over the small of Lightning's back, smiling when her spine rose, curving up into a arc. "I'm here... It's been-" She pressed another kiss into Lightning's neck, before she tugged at the fabric along her waist. "Too long, Light."

Lightning grabbed at her own shirt, and she quickly tore it off and over her head, tossing it away. "Far too long..." She pulled at Fang's shoulders to draw her forward, before she reached down to unzip the impeding garment. "Come here."

Fang quirked a single eyebrow, but she rose to her knees while tugging her underwear down. "Are you sure-" She sucked in a breath, nearly flailing forward to latch her hands along the headboard. "Light!"

Lightning only hummed against Fang's skin, gently prying at her folds with a whisper upon her tongue. "Relax."

Fang trembled, and her knuckles grew white upon the rails. "Bit... _Difficult_, when you're-" She bit back a whimpering cry, and her eyes screwed shut when Lightning began to suck. "Oh... Light!"

Lightning smoothed her hands down and over Fang's thighs, before they rose up to rub at her hips; her tongue pressed deeper, lips caressing each stroke with a long, lingering hum.

Fang's eyes began to water, and a quiet cry rattled her throat while her knees nearly buckled; a torrential force rippled throughout her skin, and her muscles grew alight with each thrumming sensation, curling deep within her stomach and threatening to bubble over at any moment. Sweat beaded at her forehead and chest, while strands of her hair became stuck to the back of her neck, darkened with moisture. Fang opened her mouth in a panting whisper, and she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out.

Lightning smirked into Fang's skin while she quickened the pace, before she slid a single, left-hand digit beside her tongue, and twisted.

Fang opened her eyes to let out a shuddering gasp, and she jerked in place, collapsing with a ragged, trembling cry.

Lightning gathered the shivering form beside her, and she leaned in to whisper against the span of flushed, heated skin. "Missed that, did you?" She pressed another finger beside her first, unrelenting as she drew out the cries from Fang's throat, leaning down to nip at the base of her neck with a quiet chuckle. "I know I did..."

Fang gripped at Lightning's back, rising up to brush her teeth against her shoulder, trembling all the while. "I already-" She could only writhe when Lightning drove her fingers a bit deeper, forcing out a long, trembling whimper.

Lightning took a moment to pin Fang back against the bed; her knees rested beside either side of Fang's hips, while her mechanical hand took a steady hold of both of Fang's wrists, before she pressed them back against the pillow. "I _did_ miss this." She smirked when Fang's lips parted, and her breath grew short as Lightning's own came crashing down against them, her tongue delving deep with the taste of sweat and arousal.

Fang murmured into the kiss, and once Lightning had released her hands, she threaded them down into her hair, before she reached over to caress the curve of Lightning's breasts.

Cold, mechanical fingers began to trace nonsensical designs over the small of her back, and while Fang winced at the touch, she relaxed after a moment, before she rose up into a sitting position.

Lightning pulled back to breathe; her face was flushed, sweat clouding her features. "Was it-" She was suddenly flipped over to lay on her stomach, and Lightning groaned into the pillow. "Good..?"

A set of teeth pressed gently into her neck, and Fang murmured in affirmation against her skin.

Lightning squirmed, and she nearly jumped when a set of skilled fingers reached around from her waist, teasing along the sensitive skin of her lower belly.

The digits only paused to run the cool metal of Lightning's bellybutton piercing between calloused fingertips. "A new one, huh?"

Lightning tried to sit up, but her body was pressed flush against the weight of Fang's hips and chest, and a low laugh rumbled from above. "Just asking about the jewelery, love..." Teeth returned to her neck, rising to nip along her earlobe. "No need to get up."

Lightning whimpered when Fang's fingers began to trace lower, teasing at the hem of her pants. "I could..." Lightning jerked forward at a familiar sensation, sweat trickling down her back. "_Show_ you, if I was sitting."

Fang shook her head as she circled a patch of moistened skin with her index finger. "When I've already got you right here?" She was jostled a bit when Lightning bucked, but Fang's weight was superior. "Not a chance, love."

Lightning bit back a curse, blood thundering in her ears as a gripping, shivering heat encircled her entire form, dragging her down into a sweltering state. "Don't, you... Dare stop."

Fang licked at Lightning's shoulder-blades with a smirk. "Not a problem."

Fang's index finger curled up to press deep into a patch of riffled skin, and Lightning cried out. She shook under a tremendous, blistering force, before the muscles of her jaw slackened with a groan, and she fell limp against the sheets, trembling under a series of high-pitched, whimpering pants.

Fang lay down to nuzzled against her back, and Lightning nearly whined at the touch; her entire body throbbed with an enveloping sensation of heat, bliss, and exhaustion.

"Glad to be back..."

Lightning could only breathe against the pillow, and her eyes fell shut with a long, yet quiet sigh.

* * *

Bhakti wheeled himself down the hallway; his mechanical eyes swiveled back and forth along the various empty rooms and corridors, until his gaze settled upon a group of colorful machines. "Greetings."

Odin lifted his head, and he blinked down at the tiny, orange creature. _Bhakti._

Bhakti rolled to a stop before them. "If this is an acceptable time, I have quite a few inquiries..."

Bahamut glanced over at Bhakti, and a barrage of memories began to flutter about his sensors, some of a young girl holding up a small robot in her hands, others of the very same machine as he charted the course for a group of riders, all while clinging to the neck of a larger, red and green creature.

Bhakti hummed for a moment. "Hecatoncheir is relevant, yes." He swiveled to face Bahamut. "I overheard an interesting theory, one that may explain why you have all chosen to stay silent."

Brynhildr suddenly rose to her feet, and her golden eyes trained themselves on Bhakti. _Know your place._

A low rumble echoed out over the garage. _Brynhildr..._

Bhakti looked over at the largest machine of the group, who lifted his massive head to face them all.

Alexander's body was wide and solid; gold and ivory ruffles of metal poured down along his neck and chest, rising up to crown his head in a regal crest. _The man-made is only curious._

Brynhildr looked away with a short, quiet screech.

Bhakti inched back a ways from his fellow machines, before he continued. "I have learned much of Valhalla by means of historical information." He paused for a moment, gazing up at Alexander. "But I believe that for the sake of efficiency, interviewing a being from the source itself would yield much more accurate results."

Alexander nodded. _Ask._

Bhakti looked over at Stiria. "You came in contact with Serah Farron, correct?"

Stiria kept still, but she began to hum with a quiet, trilling sound. _Nix... She won't answer me anymore, so yes, I overreacted... _Stiria shook her head back and forth. _She won't wake up, and I can't even talk to her!_

"Wake up?" Bhakti paused for a moment. "I'm afraid that I don't understand."

Bahamut tossed his head back with a low rumble. _Enough._

Odin rose to his feet, and he turned to lock his gaze with Bahamut's. _We are sworn to protect them!_ He turned to face Bhakti. _If that means breaking a different oath, so be it..._

Bahamut's hoof-like feet twitched, unfurling into orange claws. _Be very careful._

Odin knelt down to meet Bhakti at eye level, and he lowered his head. _Do you dream, man-made?_

Bhakti processed the question for a moment. "I do not record any occurrences when I have shut down, no."

Alexander released a short piece of information, which contained the wavelength of laughter.

Odin copied the gesture. _Perhaps you should try it... Do you know what happens when a machine shuts down?_

Bhakti froze, before his eyes extended. "Are you suggesting that-"

Bahamut began to hum, and the sound vibrated about the garage. _You reveal too much._

Brynhildr nodded. _We swore an oath..._

Odin shook his head. _Etro will understand; we cannot let them suffer!_

Alexander knocked his front feet against the metal floor. _Agreed! They should know._

The four machines stared at each other in silence, before the fifth began to hum.

Stiria turned to face them after a moment, her shoulders set low, and slumped._ If not for them, then for Nix and Hecatoncheir... They've been silent for far too long._

Bahamut fell still, and he slowly relaxed against the floor. _Agreed._

Brynhildr tossed her head back and forth, but she made no other objections.

Odin turned back to gaze at Bhakti. _Swear that this information will only be used to aid them._

Bhakti didn't hesitate. "Of course."

Odin paused for a moment, before a series of soft, green lights began to flicker from within his chest. _We are born of Valhalla..._

* * *

Lightning woke to a gentle sensation, and she slowly opened her eyes. Streaks of light poured out from the window curtains, and while she nearly squinted at the sight, she quickly remembered that such a gesture was unnecessary, instead letting her eyelids fall shut once more.

A soft, husky breath fluttered over her chest. "Morning."

Lightning nodded, but she kept her eyes shut. "We should get downstairs."

Fang gently tightened her grip around Lightning's waist. "I know."

Lightning took a deep breath, and she opened her eyes to see that Fang had picked up her mechanical hand in her own.

Fang slowly ran her fingers over each metal digit, and her gaze traced along the coiling wire within, before it drifted up to examine the smooth, curved point of each fingertip. "I bet we could paint these."

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "I've never painted them before."

Fang brushed her fingertips over the metallic surface. "Humor me..." She reached for her own neck, before she tugged up a colorful necklace to rest beside Lightning's hand, examining them side by side. "I'm thinking red."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Maybe." She tried to sit up, but the weight of Fang's head was solid against her neck and shoulder. "Fang, we have work to do."

Fang relented after a moment, nodding as she rose from the bed. "I know, sorry." She glanced at the door, before she draped her hands over her knees. "It's just... I _grieved_, Light." Fang closed her eyes. "For months."

Lightning slowly placed her left hand over Fang's own. "You said that it still doesn't feel real."

Fang nodded. "I mean... In my head, I believe you." She reached for her shirt. "And I'm going to get Vanille back, I swear it." Fang tugged the thin blouse over her head, glancing at her abandoned suit jacket. "But it's all so foreign, now... Like a dream."

Lightning sat up as well. "When we first found them, I felt the same way." She closed her eyes. "I... Never expected to see them so intact, honestly."

Fang kept silent.

Lightning continued with a quiet sigh. "But they're out there, and they need us." She stood, leaning down to pick her shirt up from the floor. "We should start planning the raid, get Sazh and Snow on board with it."

Fang raised an eyebrow, reaching for her discarded pants. "What about Hope?"

Lightning opened the drawers that lay beside the window, before she tossed a fresh shirt and jeans over to the bed. "He hasn't been coming down with us, lately." She reached into another drawer, before she handed off a folded towel to Fang. "We should shower, first."

Fang smirked a bit, running her fingertips over the towel. "That might take up even _more_ of our time..."

Lightning turned away, but Fang swore that she was smiling, too. "Focus, Fang." She nudged open an adjacent door. "If you can keep your hands to yourself, come on in."

Fang rose to her feet. "I make no promises..."


	5. Chapter 5

Soft rays of light streamed through the window, illuminating the kitchen with a subtle glow. The curtains waved back and forth in the breeze, which allowed fresh air to drift through the room, swirling around with the scent of breakfast.

Hope looked up from his plate of eggs, and he smiled, waving slightly at the doorway. "Good morning."

Lightning nodded at him as she walked into the room, glancing back at Fang, who had stopped to examine the kitchen.

Sazh rubbed at his shoulder, and he winced at the bandage that lay beneath his shirt. "Morning."

Fang looked up from inspecting the counter-top, and she sat down at the table with a sigh. "Hey... Holding up alright?"

Sazh nodded. "Just a scratch... We got _real_ lucky, back there."

Fang shook her head. "Don't have to tell me twice."

Lightning walked up to stand beside the counter, and she began to scrape a pile of eggs onto a plate. "Fang, get some breakfast."

Fang stood up after a moment, stretching out her shoulders. "I'd like to know who cooked them, first."

Snow nearly blushed. "It was _one_ time, Fang!"

Fang leaned back against the counter, folding her arms over her chest. "And that one time had us all spewing for weeks."

Snow rolled his eyes, slowly picking at his plate with a fork. "I've gotten better at it..."

Lightning pushed a plate into Fang's hands. "We haven't had another incident like that." She walked over to the table to take her seat. "But there's some cereal in the cupboard if you want it."

Fang glanced down at the plate that Lightning had given her. "Might as well..." She sat down beside Lightning, slowly poking a fork into the scrambled eggs. "Just another life or death situation, isn't it?"

Hope straightened in his seat. "Hey... I wouldn't call the Ark invulnerable, but we're going to be pretty safe for a while." He took a bite of egg, his brow drawn in thought. "I mean, the gate is going to need around another a week or so of charging-"

Lightning cleared her throat. "I was just going to bring that up." She leaned back from the table, glancing between her friends. "Last night, Fang and I were talking about how to speed up the process."

Hope examined Lightning's expression. "You don't mean..?"

Lightning nodded. "The sooner we get them out of there, the better."

Hope stilled with a frown, his fork suspended above his plate. "Another raid..." He took a deep breath, sitting in silence for a moment. "I'm just worried about provoking them again, _especially_ so soon." Hope set his fork down, and he leaned back in his chair to think. "But we could definitely spare a few shrouds... Which location are you thinking?"

Lightning's upper lip twitched, hinting a smile. "Euride."

Hope's eyes widened. "We'd have enough for multiple charges..." He sat up straight, before he rolled his chair back over into the main office. "Hold on to something; I'm altering our course a bit!"

Lightning gripped the edge of the table, simultaneously chewing on a bite of egg. "You've got our cloaks activated?"

Hope scoffed. "I'm not an amateur, Light."

Lightning smirked to herself. "What about the advanced layer?"

Hope kept silent for a moment. "Don't let it get to your head."

Fang chuckled at that, but she winced when the room lurched, and her head spun with a sudden disorienting sensation. "I might just start spewing _anyway_..."

Sazh winced. "Grab a bucket, or something!"

Fang shook her head when the motion began to even out, and she took a deep breath. "I think I'm alright..." She leaned back after a moment. "Euride, huh?"

Lightning nodded. "If we can hit the processing plant itself..."

Snow grinned. "We'd just have to get past the outer gates, somehow."

After a moment, Lightning picked up her empty plate, and she rose to her feet. "Nice day for flying."

* * *

Serah drifted in place, floating in slow circles, even as her mind remained scattered about. _Vanille... Can you feel that?_

Vanille kept still. _Can you be more specific?_

Serah narrowed her eyes at the drifting, morphing energy that lay in ribbon-like layers around them. _There's something out there. _She glanced over at Dajh. _Hey... Just stay close, kiddo._

Dajh held up his hands to reveal a tiny, yellow machine.

Serah knelt down to look at it. _Where did that come from?_

Dajh frowned slightly, before he shrugged.

Serah slowly reached out to pet the little creature. _It almost looks like a bird..._

Dajh grinned. _Chocobo!_

Serah smiled as well. _A little bit, yeah._

Vanille suddenly stood up, and she turned to face the shifting fields of energy. _You're right... There is something there._ She raised her arm to point at a certain direction. _It's walking toward us._

Serah froze, and her breath shortened. _Can you tell if they're friendly?_

Vanille tilted her head to the side, and the wisping energy within her eyes flared for a split second. _Well... They aren't in a hurry._

Serah stood up, holding her arms out into fists. _Nix, get ready._

Nix looked up from where she had been resting, before she rose to her feet with a series of chirps and hums.

Serah narrowed her eyes, and she could only watch as a figure began to appear off in the distance; the diminutive form grew closer with each passing moment, revealing a veil of gentle, floating energy strands.

Hecatoncheir took a step forward, and Nix moved up to stand beside him, but their stances were calm, and submissive.

Green eyes pierced through the mist. _The goddess would speak with you._

* * *

Lightning gripped a slim capsule in her palm, narrowing her eyes at the clouds below. "Testing..."

Hope's voice sounded over the communication channel. "Lightning, loud and clear."

Fang smiled from beside Lightning; a long, thin rifle was strapped to her back, crackling quietly with stored energy. "How about this?" She began hum under her breath, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Hope laughed a little. "Gotta be original, huh?"

Sazh began to whistle a tune, his lips drawn in a smile.

"Now that's just getting silly..." Hope paused for a moment. "Snow, what about you?"

Snow nodded, gazing down from beside the railing. "Right here."

"Okay." Hope took a deep breath. "Deploy whenever you're ready."

Lightning hoisted herself atop the rails, and she stood up straight, before turning on her heel. "Here we go."

Fang laughed when Lightning leaned back into the air, and she jumped up to follow suit, quickly belly-flopping down into the rushing clouds with an echoing whoop.

Snow laughed as he jumped up to throw himself over the edge as well, and he watched with a grin as the Ark revealed itself in full; the sleek, pale station hovered within the clouds, turbines chopping the air beneath it with an almost silent hum. Snow blinked when the Ark began to fade, as an artificial cloak engaged when he fell beyond viewing distance.

Sazh took a deep breath, balancing himself along the edge. "Getting too old for this kind of stunt..." The wind brushed aside the cuffs of his pants to reveal twin, mechanical legs. "Off I go." Sazh hopped out into the air, and he couldn't help but laugh at the rush of adrenaline that suddenly coursed through his veins, and the sleeves of his jacket flapped against the billowing wind.

Lightning's voice rang out over the line. "Activating grav-shroud."

Hope replied after a moment of silence. "At _that_ altitude?"

Lightning sighed. "Close enough."

Fang spoke up. "Same here, but the wind's a bit choppy..."

Snow laughed over the line. "Maybe you've just gotten rusty."

Fang scoffed. "How about saying that to my face? See how rusty I am, then..."

Snow kept silent for a moment. "No thanks."

Fang laughed under her breath. "Didn't think so."

Sazh rolled his eyes while he clutched at the capsule in his hands, before the clouds broke, revealing the world below. "Incoming!" He broke the seal on the vial, and a cloud of translucent material rushed out to encircle him in a layer of energy.

"Sazh, we're at the top level." Lightning paused, and Sazh could hear quiet footsteps echo over the line. "Look for the radio tower... And try to keep up, next time."

Sazh maneuvered to the side while a sense of weightlessness overtook his body. "_You_ try skydiving at this age, missy!" He directed himself over to the area that Lightning had indicated, slowly landing with a low chuckle. "I'm headed over."

Lightning knelt down beside a doorway, pressing her ear to the metal. "Shrouds are about to wear off..." She looked up to see that Fang was standing a short distance away.

Snow walked up to them, wincing at the look he received from Fang. "I was just joking, alright?"

Fang only smirked.

Lightning moved her hand along the metal door, and her brow furrowed in concentration. "Focus." She traced over the surface beside the doorknob. "Fang, keep a lookout while I get this open."

Fang nodded, and she walked over to crouch beside another area of the roof, gazing around at the building complex below.

Snow smiled at Sazh as he approached, before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Glad you could make it."

Sazh rolled his eyes. "Light, need a boost?"

Lightning poked at a certain area of the door. "Here." She moved back, watching as Sazh tuned the octagonal implant upon his wrist, before his palm began to glow with an orange, pulsing light.

Sazh narrowed his eyes. "Get ready to move."

Lightning nodded. "Fang, get back over here... We'll only have a few minutes with the alarms going off."

Fang jogged over to them, simultaneously unholstering the rifle from her back. "Grab as much as we can and take off running..." She smirked when Lightning kicked the door open, and Fang took off after her through the hallway. "Sounds familiar!"

Lightning winced at the screeching alarm as she wheeled around a corner, glancing back to make sure that her friends had followed her. "Simple and efficient!" She slammed her mechanical fist into a armored gunman, before ducking back to let Fang to fire off a round of devastating shots into the stunned guard.

Fang stepped over the fallen form, gesturing for Snow and Sazh to follow after Lightning. "I'll watch this junction." Fang waved at them. "Don't be long."

Sazh nodded back at Fang, holding his dual pistols at the ready. "Light, wait up!" He jogged after her, glancing around at the hallway.

Lightning paused at another junction. "Snow, watch this one."

Snow nodded, turning around to clasp his hands together.

Sazh followed after Lightning, and his eyes widened when they passed through a doorway. "Wrong turn..?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes at the massive, stationary machine, before her mouth parted with a snarl. "Can you _feel_ that?" Her vision flared with excess energy, and Lightning winced at the sudden barrage of interrogative signals, before she forced them back with a hiss. "Back _off!_" She reached for the pistol at her belt to fire off a single round at the machine, which fell silent once the bullet had punctured through a series of metallic tubing.

Lightning raced over to a conveyor belt, holstering her pistol while simultaneously tossing several blocks of porous, glowing material into her backpack. "Snow, watch the door, too." She winced at the continuous screech of the alarm system, before she shook her head. "Sazh, we don't have much time!"

Sazh stared up at the giant, glowing machine. "I've... How do I know this one?"

Lightning ran up to Sazh, and she handed her backpack over to him, yanking down an identical bag from his back. "Focus, Sazh!" She raced back to the conveyor belt, stuffing as many bars into the backpack as she could reach. Lightning glanced up at the silver machine, and her gaze lingered on the dripping, orange energy that flowed throughout a series of translucent pipes. "Take a picture if you have to, but this place is about to be crawling with-"

An echoing crack sounded off from inside the machine, and Lightning winced at the thundering hum of artificial wingbeats. "Sazh, let's _go!_"

Sazh jolted out from his reverie, firing off several rounds as wave after wave of tiny, insectoid constructs burst out from within the larger machine, quickly swarming about in a deafening cloud of pincers and wings.

Lightning reached for her pistol, but her left arm was suddenly pierced with thousands of tiny, metallic shards, and she roared, firing out at the swarm while struggling towards the doorway. "Snow!" Lightning slammed through the door, stumbling when several of the machines began to latch onto her arms and back. "Jacket, Snow!"

Snow ran up from his post in the hallway, and his eyes widened. "On it!" He pulled up his hood to cover his head, before he drew down a mesh filter to cover his face as he raced out into the fray, hurling a pair of glowing fists at the swarm.

Lightning began to wrench the frenzied creatures away from her skin, but she suddenly froze, choking on a ragged breath, before she looked down, only to find an oozing gap in her shirt.

"Light!"

Lightning fell to her knees, blood bubbling up in her throat. Her artificial vision spun, and she could barely make out the outline of an approaching formation of guards as her head collided with the floor.

* * *

Serah froze in her tracks, her skin prickled with goosebumps. _Did you feel that?_

Vanille paused, before she shook her head with a frown.

A young woman stood a short distance away, slowly turning to face them. _We have little time._

Serah took a deep breath. _You still haven't told us who you are..._

The woman looked down at the path of wires that had parted before her. _My name is unimportant_. Her 'voice' was a soft monotone, and she took a step forward, silently navigating her way through the web of machinery. _But you may call me Yeul._

Serah took hold of Dajh's hand, guiding him forward. _My name is Serah._

Yeul shook her head. _The goddess already knows such._

Vanille followed after them, resting one hand along Hecatoncheir's side. _Who is this goddess, anyway?_

Yeul held up her arm to reveal a translucent archway. _Etro._

Serah's eyes widened. _Are you serious..?_

Yeul only pushed through the gap, and her footsteps echoed against the glass-like floor. _She wishes to speak with you, so I have brought you here. _Yeul walked forward to stand beside a small pedestal, and she knelt down before it while bowing her head.

Serah's breath caught as she took a step forward, and her gaze locked upon the tiny, white machine that lay upon the marble stand.


	6. Chapter 6

Lips cracked, caked with blood; her eyelids twitched open, and a soft, blue light flared within.

"Welcome back."

Lightning grimaced when a jolt of pain shot through her chest, but she refused to cry out, instead biting down on her tongue.

A pair of mechanical eyes glanced down at an open puncture wound. "You should consider yourself fortunate that you are needed for questioning."

Lightning glanced to the side, narrowing her eyes at the restraints upon her wrists. "Why... Why would you want to question me?" She closed her right hand into a fist, concealing the serrated blade that began to inch up from within her mechanical wrist.

The figure shrugged, intent on examining the open wound. "You possess a very interesting composition of blood."

Lightning raised a single eyebrow. "How so?" She turned her wrist to the side, slowly sawing through the fabric of the restraint.

A small smile. "You are not aware?" The eyes narrowed slightly. "The wound began to clot almost instantly; you would not have bled out, even if we had not been intent on keeping you alive."

Lightning grimaced when her captor leaned over to inspect her wound, but she continued to saw at the restraint. "Why is that, do you think..?"

The figure shrugged once more. "Aside from a significant percentage of ethereal energy, I found nothing extraordinary about your blood." Leaning back, her captor smirked, and a set of mechanical eyes settled upon the frayed restraint. "Although, perhaps that was enough."

Lightning grit her teeth as she lunged forward, only to fall back when her wrist snapped against the second restraint.

The figure turned. "I wonder, though... Why do you insist on fighting us?" Footsteps echoed about the room. "Do you not understand what our goals would accomplish?"

Lightning glared at the pacing figure, and she leaned back to rip at the second restraint. "You'd _kill_ us!" She narrowed her eyes, glancing about as several more footsteps sounded in the distance.

The figure turned back to face her. "Not _all_ of you..."

* * *

Serah sat down before the altar, and she slowly folded her hands together upon her lap. She took a deep breath, before her eyelids fluttered shut with a sigh. _Are you sure?_

Yeul nodded. _The goddess cannot speak, even in the language of Valhalla... Our language._ She gazed along the featherlight machine, which was resting in silence._ We share a bond, and I speak for her._

Vanille sat beside the pedestal as well, her brow knit._ I'm just not sure if I understand what she 'wants', though._

Yeul tipped her head back, gazing up at the heavenly glow that filtered down from a dome above the pedestal. _The gods think in different ways; some are very shortsighted, while others..._ She looked back at the platform. _Others can see far beyond what we are capable of._

Serah opened her eyes after a moment. _Well... What do we need to do?_

Yeul couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Fang grit her teeth, clutching at her side as her vision evened out. "How... How many?"

Sazh squinted at the gap beneath the door. "At least five... Maybe more."

Fang exhaled, and she slowly leaned back against the wall. "I'm in no shape to run, but if we can-" She hissed at the wounds on her side, before she grasped along the blooded fabric of her shirt. "The communicators... They took them?"

Snow nodded, rubbing at his bare wrists. "My coat, too." He narrowed his eyes at the door. "Wonder if they know how rare it is..."

Fang scoffed under her breath, and she nodded up at a camera that was fixed upon the ceiling. "If they didn't before, they do now."

Snow followed Fang's gaze, before he smacked at his forehead with a hiss. "Damn it!"

After a moment of concentration, Sazh smirked. "Hey, it might not have audio; you never know..." He placed his hand beside the door, and a soft, orange glow enveloped each of his fingers, quickly spreading out into the metal surface below. "But if you're chilly, I'm sure they'd be glad to hand over your jacket."

Fang glanced up at the camera, before she looked back down at Sazh's hand. "I can probably walk." She began to rise with one arm braced upon the wall, stumbling to her feet. "I'd also _really_ like to get my rifle back."

Sazh grinned, before he punched a hole through the door.

* * *

Hope paced back and forth, his eyes wide and trembling. "What should I-" He took a deep breath, before he threaded his hands into his hair. "Bhakti, I'm going down."

Bhakti swiveled around to face Hope. "I would not advise-"

Hope shook his head. "They _need_ me!" His fingers quivered, and Hope raced over to a drawer beneath his desk, tearing it open with a quiet shudder. "I can't just- They'll _kill_ them!" He gripped at the capsule within his palm, before he looked over his shoulder at Bhakti. "I'm bringing everyone down... Just open the transporter link for us once I activate one of the gates, alright?"

Bhakti hummed for a moment. "Understood, but I still believe that a rational approach would-"

Hope closed the door behind him.

* * *

Lightning's eyes fluttered shut, wincing as each memory was dragged to the surface, gutted open for all to see, no matter the relevance.

A child watched in silence as her city burned, the hand of her sister held tight within her own.

A young woman whipped around to fire a weathered pistol at a larger figure, and a grimace creased her face when a steady gush of glowing, viscous blood seeped out from the crackling wound.

Barely out of his teens, a young man raced to keep up with a taller woman, clutching a piece of machinery in his trembling hands.

An older man stood with his infant son in his arms, gazing out over a crumbling shoreline that lay off in the distance. He narrowed his eyes at the remains of a building, as well as the hovering machine that was picking the foundation apart. A hand clasped his shoulder, and the man turned, slowly nodding at the uniformed woman that stood beside him.

The very same woman rolled her eyes at her sister, but her gaze softened after a moment, and she finally shook hands with the massive man that stood beside them, staring pointedly at the even larger machine that lay fizzling behind him.

Two women stood before each other; while a common goal forged their alliance, they also shared a blossoming sense of kinship. Their lips finally brushed together, and a single breath was exchanged.

Dried blood lay smeared along the floor, and pale, weathered hands slowly pried apart a mountain of debris, until calloused fingers touched upon a strand of orange hair.

Her mind surged as a dizzying catalog of information was forced throughout her consciousness, until she could no longer think, eventually accepting the database as her own.

"Welcome."

Her eyes opened, scanning the array of faces that lay before her. "I... I reject the invitation."

* * *

Fang's back slammed against a wall, before she stumbled forward with a strangled grunt. "Stronger than they look, eh?!" She swung out at her nearest assailant, and blooded knuckles collided with a metal helmet as shards of glass shattered beside her hand. "Snow, aim for the visors!"

Snow nodded in between punches, but he reeled away when a spray of bullets pierced at his side with a whistling crack. "I could _really_ use my jacket, right about now!" He roared, jumping forward to smash the heads of two gunmen together.

Sazh ducked beneath a swinging rifle, and he reached down to grab two pistols away from the fallen guards, soon firing back into the fray. "Fang, catch!" He tossed the second pistol over to Fang, which she caught with a smirk, before she fired off as well.

Snow began to wheeze, and blood foamed out from his mouth in a mist as he rammed his head into his nearest target, before he let out a ragged laugh, watching several of the gunmen begin their retreat.

Fang lowered her pistol, and she slowly leaned back against the wall to catch her breath. "Okay... Our stuff can't be _that_ far from here."

Snow stumbled forward, before he stood upright with a gasp. "Wait-" He turned to look back at his friends.

Fang's eyes widened. "Lightning..."

* * *

Serah ran her fingers over the sleek, metallic fibers; the metal along her arm had stretched out to allow the limbs of a compound bow to rise up from her mechanical wrist. _How does it work?  
_  
Yeul gazed along Serah's arm. _It reacts to you._

Serah raised a single eyebrow, but she focused, wishing for the metal to close. Her eyes widened when the device obeyed her mental command, folding up into an arm-mounted blade, before it snapped back back down to rest beside her wrist.

Vanille still sat upon the floor, her arms held out before her face. _Are mine the same?_

Yeul nodded from beside the pedestal. _Yes._

Vanille began to concentrate, and she nearly startled when a set of metal wires sprung forth from each of her mechanical hands, whipping about for an mere instant, before they quickly wound back into the gaps within her fingers.

Serah held up her arm, and the limbs of her bow unfurled from her wrist. _How do I fire it?_

Yeul gestured at a quiver that lay upon the ground, and while Serah swore that it hadn't been there before, she walked over to pick it up, quickly snapping it to her belt.

_Like this?_ Serah positioned a small, yet razor-sharp arrow beside the metallic bowstring, before she took aim at a stray bit of debris upon the temple floor.

Yeul nodded.

After a moment of concentration, Serah released the arrow, and her eyes widened at the sudden aftershock; her skin was barraged with rumbling vibrations as the arrow whistled through the air, slamming into the debris with a thundering crash.

Yeul's upper lip twitched. _Gifts from the goddess._

Serah gazed down at her arm. _It's amazing!_

Vanille smiled up at Serah, and she slowly reached up to tug at the sleeve of her shirt. _When Lightning was here... Her arm started to look a little like that._

Serah paused in thought, before she nodded. _I remember... She said her muscles wouldn't respond._

Vanille traced along the metal of her own mechanical hands, frowning at the lack of flesh. _All of this... Even my eyes... I can kind of make things out again, but is this permanent?_

After a moment of silence, Yeul closed her eyes. _Yes._

Serah's breath caught, and she turned to face Yeul. _Even if we go back?!_

Yeul opened a single eye. _Your sister seems to be managing such a fate with ease._

Serah paused, before she sat back down upon the tile floor. _You said that she needs us..._

Yeul shook her head, closing her eye once more. _Etro told you, not I._ She took a deep breath. _I am only... A conduit._

Serah frowned, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

* * *

Lightning thrashed against the tide; blue mist burned beneath scratched, glistening eyelids, her throat raw with blood.

_Do not fight us._

She shook her head, crashing down through the shallow window, only to fall flat against the concrete, and Lightning coughed, before she slowly rose to her feet.

"Light!"

Her head whipped around, and her sensors focused on the approaching thrum of hoof-beats.

"Light?" Hope crashed through a metal gate while atop of Alexander, green energy surrounding his waist and hands as he waved up at her. "I'm down here, Light!"

Lightning's breath grew short, and she turned around to look back at the building. "Three."

Hope looked up at her from the parking lot, circled by a group of mechanical creatures. "What?" He frowned when Odin tried to climb up to the balcony, trilling in protest.

Lightning cleared her throat. "Three remain." She took a moment to reflect upon the monotone quality that suddenly tinged her voice, but the issue was moved aside in favor of more pressing objectives. "We will wait."

Hope's eyes widened. "What... What did they _do_ to you?"

Lightning blinked once, and her lips parted slightly. "I am enhanced." She twitched slightly, turning to gaze at the building behind her. "They allowed me to escape."

Hope's stomach sank, and his breath stuck to his throat. "Light..."

Lightning only gazed at the shattered window in silence, her hair fluttering in the breeze.


	7. Chapter 7

Fang gripped at her rifle. "Where the hell did they all go?" She eased around a corner, grimacing at her wounds. "The damn place was _crawling_ with-" Fang paused, before she walked up to stand beside a window. "Light!"

Lightning turned, gazing up from the balcony. "Hello."

Fang tensed upon hearing the tone of Lightning's voice. "Light..?"

Lightning stood in silence.

Snow glanced out from over Fang's shoulder. "Is she-" He froze, shaking his head. "No... They _didn't!_"

Lightning blinked once. "We should leave as soon as possible." She turned to walk away from the window, and Fang leapt down to follow after her.

"Wait a damn second!" Fang grabbed hold of Lightning's shoulder, turning her in place. "How did you get out of there?" She narrowed her eyes to search Lightning's gaze. "They've actually turned you, haven't they?"

Lightning stood still. "I believe so." She kept silent for a moment, staring back into Fang's gaze. "I feel... Focused."

After a moment of silence, Fang's eyes fell shut, and she shook her head. "_Damn_ it, Light!" Her grip tightened to a near painful degree, but Lightning only glanced at the fingers clutching along her shoulder.

Snow jumped down from the window, and Sazh followed after him.

"We can't stay here." Sazh looked back up at the factory. "Light, they didn't take all of these..." He held up a single backpack, shaking his head at Lightning's expression. "Fang, leave her be."

Fang rounded on Sazh, her lip curled in a snarl. "Leave her be?!" She still held Lightning's shoulder, and her fingers pressed even further into the fabric. "They've _got_ her, Sazh!" Fang's voice echoed about the rooftop. "Just look at her!"

Sazh examined Lightning's face. "I have." He held up Lightning's backpack, to which she extended her arm.

Lightning's fingers slowly closed around the strap. "I understand your concern." She glanced over at Fang. "I am not sure what to say."

Fang grit her teeth, before she let out a bitter laugh. "There isn't _much_, is there?" Her fingers trembled slightly, and she sucked in a deep breath, holding it tight. "We can't possibly..." She finally exhaled, before she slowly released Lightning's shoulder. "We _can't_ trust this... 'How best to turn us against each other?' Remember _that_, Light?"

Lightning only stood in silence, holding the backpack at her side. "I can recall from previous interactions that any attempt to convince you of-"

Fang shook her head. "Stop it!" She glared at Lightning, squinting to keep the swell of emotion concealed as best she could. "Talking like that..." Fang took hold of Lightning's hand, and she began to drag her along the rooftop. "We'll _fix_ this." She began to hiss under her breath, glancing about at the deserted factory. "They couldn't have made this permanent..."

Lightning followed in silence for a while, before she looked back at Snow and Sazh. "I apologize."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "For what?"

Lightning blinked once. "You are upset."

Fang hissed through her teeth. "Of _course_ I'm upset..." She turned to look down at the parking lot, and her eyes widened when she spotted a familiar face. "Hope?"

Hope looked up at them, waving from the opposite side of the lot.

Snow walked forward to stand beside Fang, and he glanced at Lightning from of the corner of his eye. "So... She's _not_ going to start attacking us?"

Lightning stood almost completely still, but her gaze flicked over to examine Snow's face. "What reason would I have to attack?"

Snow frowned, and he took a step back. "Oh, I dunno..." He narrowed his eyes. "Just the fact you were captured by the very same force that we've been fighting for years..." Snow's fingers curled into fists. "And you come back talking like _that_."

Lightning kept silent for a while, before she turned away. "I recall similar results of your capacity to be convinced..." She tried to pull her hand away, but Fang's grip was steadfast. "So I will not waste my energy attempting it."

Sazh smiled a bit. "Still logical, at least." He glanced over his shoulder while they walked down into the parking lot. "She doesn't seem aggressive... But keep your guard up."

Lightning gave him a tiny nod. "I would expect nothing less."

Sazh chuckled. "A little sass, too."

Fang walked across the lot in silence, and she soon nodded up Hope with a grimace. "Sorry for the scare, kiddo..." She pulled Lightning over to Odin, gesturing for her to climb. "We ran into some trouble."

Hope frowned down at them from atop of Alexander. "I heard it, yeah." He glanced over at Lightning. "So, she's been..?"

Fang watched as Lightning sat up straight upon Odin's back, her gaze distant. "Changed."

Lightning glanced down at Odin's saddle, and she focused upon a faint, trilling signal, before she narrowed her eyes in concentration. _Hello?_

Odin startled, before he attempted to turn around and see his rider. _You can-_ A soft hum began to echo about his chest. _You can speak to us..?_

"Light?"

Lightning snapped back to attention, and her gaze settled on Hope. "I communicated with Odin." She pointed at the creature below. "I was never able to do that, before."

Fang raised an eyebrow from atop Bahamut's saddle. "This just keeps getting weirder and _weirder_..." She shook her head, before she grasped at the wounds along her side. "How about we get back up before I pass out, eh?"

Hope nodded, and he began to steer Alexander down to the broken gate. "We can take care of your injuries back in the Ark." He turned after a moment, frowning at Lightning. "I just don't know if it's a good idea to-"

Fang narrowed her eyes. "We are _not_ leaving her."

Hope shook his head. "I'm not saying that we should, but the location of the Ark-"

Lightning shrugged. "They already know."

Hope's eyes widened, and he nearly yanked Alexander to a stop. "They _what?!_"

Lightning closed her eyes. "My memories were distributed." She opened her eyes after a moment, but her gaze was blank. "They cataloged everything."

Hope's breath grew short. "Wait, then-" He nearly shivered, shaking his head. "They know _all_ of it!" Hope clutched at his face. "No, no..."

Sazh cleared his throat. "Hey, stay with us, now!" He narrowed his eyes at Hope, steering Brynhildr up to walk beside Alexander. "We start panicking, and _everything_ goes to hell."

Hope took a deep breath, his eyes wide. "Okay, okay... We can fix this; I'll steer the Ark somewhere else, and we can check if they planted anything to track us." He exhaled, closing his eyes. "We'll lay low... Wait this out."

Snow shook his head. "What about the gate?" He glanced over at Lightning, wincing at the pale, weathered quality that her skin had taken. "Serah's still-"

Lightning's eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. "Serah..." Her voice cracked slightly.

Fang froze, before she looked over to stare at Lightning. "You almost-" She paused, gazing deep into Lightning's eyes. "You're still there, Light."

Lightning looked back at Fang. "Am I?" Her tone was low once more, and her gaze dropped to look at her hands, curling beside Odin's saddle. "I feel... Uncertain."

Fang smiled to herself. "But you still _feel?_"

After a moment of thought, Lightning nodded. "I believe so... At least, on some level."

Fang took a deep breath, before she leaned forward, gesturing for Bahamut to run. "That's a good start."

* * *

Serah watched as Dajh chased the tiny, yellow machine in circles, and a tiny smile curved over her lips. _Dajh, can you come over here for a minute?_

Dajh paused, before he ran up to stand in front of Serah. _Hi Serah!_ He smiled up at her. _She says I can call her Chocolina!_

Serah's eyes widened slightly when the bird-like machine landed atop of Dajh's head. _Did she, now..?_

Dajh nodded with a wide grin on his face._ She said we can be friends!_

Serah tried to smile back, and she knelt down to meet Dajh at eye level. _Dajh, I wanted to ask you... Are you feeling okay? _Serah glanced at Dajh's hands. _Do you remember how your dad wasn't feeling so well?_

Dajh frowned a bit. _Yeah... But I'm okay!_ He smiled, reaching up to hold Chocolina in his hands. _She says we'll get to go be outside, soon!_

Serah paused, before she slowly looked down at the tiny machine. _Hello?_

Chocolina nodded, twirling in place. _Hello!_

Serah couldn't help but grin. _You're like Nix and the others, right?_

Chocolina hopped up and down. _Dajh was sad, so Etro wanted someone to come out and help him feel better!_ She hovered for a moment, before spinning around in a loop. _So, she asked Yeul to call upon her most upbeat of helpers, the great and powerful Chocolina!_

Serah attempted to stifle a laugh. _Okay... It's nice to meet you._

Chocolina let out a chirp, and while Serah was unable to hear it, she continued to smile at the tiny machine. _I'm going to go and talk to Yeul; will the two of you stay together?_

Dajh nodded with a grin, before he ran off into the temple.

Serah watched him leave, squinting at the vibrations that his footfalls left, and she began to focus on them, slowly placing her hand upon the floor.

_You cannot hear._

Serah froze, before she wheeled around to face the deep, solid 'voice' that had echoed over the hall.

A tall man stepped out from behind a pillar, swathed in a looming shadow. _Valhalla is unkind to such beings..._ His feet were silent upon the tile floor, and his gaze was soon fixed upon Serah's hand. _But you already know this._

Serah's breath caught. _Who are you?_

_The name of a human carries little weight in this place..._ He slowly revealed a set of glowing, purple eyes. _But you may call me Caius._

Serah nodded after a moment, and she gazed up at the long, curved blade that Caius wielded upon his arm. _You're stuck here, too?_

Caius kept still, but his gaze slid over to examine Serah's face. _I would hesitate to describe my situation in greater depth... But you carry a weapon of Etro._ He nodded at Serah's hand. _I am sworn to the very same goddess._

Serah relaxed a little, but she continued to monitor each and every movement that Caius made. _You would know Yeul, then?_

_Indeed. _Caius began to walk down the hallway. _I am her sworn guardian._

Serah followed after Caius for a while, but they soon entered another hallway, and Serah paused to glance up at the stained glass windows that stretched out along the ceiling, her gaze tracking the depictions of several horse-like machines. _That one... _She squinted at a white creature; metal framework created a blue and gray diamond-pattern upon its mechanical body. _It looks like Nix!_

Caius paused to follow her gaze. _It is_. He glanced back at Serah. _And____ you know her name..._

Serah looked down at Caius once more, and a tiny smile graced her lips._ They came to us, one day. _She closed her eyes before a moment of silence, thinking back. _We were outnumbered; even my sister was starting to panic..._ Serah opened her eyes. _But out of nowhere, I was riding on the back of a machine! __She smiled up at the ceiling.__ And somehow... I already knew her name._

Caius raised a single eyebrow. _You were chosen._

Serah shrugged, leaning back to examine the glass in further detail. _We didn't really know much about Valhalla, back then..._ She took a deep breath, before she looked down, walking forward once more. _I always thought that it was just a story._

Caius nearly smirked, shaking his head. _Perhaps it should be._

Serah tilted her head to the side, but she kept her thoughts to herself as Caius walked off, disappearing into the temple.

* * *

Fang let out a long hiss, and she leaned back against the bathroom wall, gripping the cloth at her side with a muffled curse.

Lightning only dabbed a bit of ointment into the Fang's wounds, and her expression remained unfazed, even when Fang glared at her.

Fang took a long moment to catch her breath, sweat running down her face. "How many did you take?"

Lightning began to apply another dose of ointment along her own wounds. "Can you rephrase the question?"

Fang bit back a swear, grimacing at her side. "_Bullets_, Light."

Lightning looked down at her chest. "At least one of my lungs was damaged." She examined the darkened hole within her chest. "I was informed of an unusual type of clotting by-"

Fang suddenly leaned forward to grip at Lightning's shoulder. "Light... Enough." Her face crumpled, and she shook her head. "Just talk like you used to? _Please_..."

Lightning kept silent for a moment, before she attempted to speak in varying tones and pitch, but the words were disjointed and broken.

Fang exhaled. "Worth a try, huh?" She gently squeezed at Lightning's shoulder. "Got anything for pain?"

Lightning stood up, reaching for the cabinet. "Yes."

Fang accepted a bottle of pills, and she watched as Lightning slowly twisted the faucet, before she positioned a plastic cup beneath the flow. "I'm... I'm sorry."

Lightning turned back to hold out the cup of water. "For what?"

Fang downed a couple of pills, before she lowered the cup with a sigh. "For snapping at you... You don't deserve it."

Lightning knelt down once more, but her gaze was distant. "It does not bother me." She blinked once. "I _can_ remember what it feels like, to be bothered..." Lightning leaned back on the counter. "It was somewhat dizzying."

Fang raised an eyebrow, twirling the empty cup between her fingers. "I still owe you better..." She leaned forward to tuck a strand of hair behind Lightning's ear. "Focus on _feelings_, alright?"

After a moment, Lightning nodded, and her mouth twitched slightly. "I am attempting to-"

Fang shook her head. "You don't have to smile for me, love." She ran a thumb over Lightning's cheek. "Just stay positive, yeah?"

Lightning kept silent for a while, before she slowly closed her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Fang stalked the balcony, wringing her hands deep into her hair. "It's not _right_."

Sazh leaned back against the side of the Ark while he tied off a bandage beside several other wrappings. "'Rightness' doesn't change too much, I'm afraid."

Fang doubled her pace, and her footsteps began to echo about the ledge. "They go for the leader, huh?" She paused, only to slap her hands down against the railing, hissing through her teeth. "I _finally_ get out of that _mess_, and they just-" Fang wheeled around, and she crashed her fist into the wall, her muscles twitching beneath her skin. "They just _drag_ her back into it!"

Sazh took a deep breath. "Let it out."

Fang bit back a cry, slamming her other hand beside the first. "I _know_ it's not her fault! I _know_, but... When I look at her, Sazh..." Fang closed her eyes, leaning forward to rest her forehead against the wall. "I don't see much of Light, not anymore."

Sazh nodded, and he tipped his head back gaze out at the clouds, his hair gently ruffled by the wind. "They take what we love..." He slowly closed his eyes. "Do you remember the first Ark?"

Fang opened her eyes, narrowing them with a scoff. "How could I forget?"

Sazh kept silent until Fang had taken a seat beside him, and he opened his eyes as well. "When they... When they _took_ Dajh, do you remember how I acted?"

Fang frowned, slowly hugging her knees against her chest. "Yeah." Her eyes were half-lidded as she stared out at the sky. "I had never seen you like _that_, before."

Sazh nodded. "And while it wasn't direct..." He took a sharp breath, glancing at his feet. "My lashing out caused this whole ordeal."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "You couldn't have known." She turned to meet Sazh's gaze. "Don't blame yourself for what happened."

Sazh smiled a little. "Same to you."

Fang's eyes widened slightly, before she turned to stare at the clouds. "I don't." Her fingers curled upon her palm. "I blame _them_."

* * *

Hope carefully unzipped the backpack, and his eyes widened at the contents within. "I've never seen this kind before..." He glanced over at Lightning, examining her expression, or lack thereof. "Light? Can you help me with something?"

Lightning snapped to attention, and she stood up from her chair to walk beside the desk. "The smelting process, correct?"

Hope held up one of the bars. "Yeah... But first, I really need to ask you something." He frowned a bit, before he glanced to the side. "Don't take this the wrong way, alright?" Hope took a deep breath. "Can we trust you with..." After a moment of silence, he gestured in Lightning's direction. "This?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes in thought. "I recall that you were once extremely dependent on me for protection." She blinked at Hope. "If I assure you of my integrity, you will most likely believe me without doubt..." Lightning slowly shook her head. "I cannot, in good conscience... As I am unsure, myself."

Hope nodded after a moment, before he slowly turned in his chair to pick up a square object from his desk. "I'm just going to scan you for any foreign objects, okay?" He turned to face Lightning. "If they had you unconscious, they could have planted something to track us." Hope held up the device while adjusting a dial on the side, before he gestured for Lightning to step back.

Inspecting the display, Hope could see the entire outline of Lightning's mechanical arm; the metal reached all the way up to her elbow, connecting with her upper arm in an artificial socket. The device also detected the faint trace of a small hologram system that lay within Lightning's eye sockets, a contraption she had personally requested to mask the ethereal glow that had been gained from her time in Valhalla.

Hope lowered the scanner after a moment. "Nothing unusual... In your case, at least." He smiled a little while placing the device back on his desk. "I'm going to get these started." Hope held up one of the bars, before he dropped it back into the satchel. "I could use a hand getting the kiln up and running, though."

Lightning nodded, and she followed after Hope into the hallway. "Will these be sufficient to power the conduit?"

Hope soon walked out into a darkened room, and he placed the backpack beside the opening of a furnace. "I think so... At least enough for a single jump and back." He pulled open a hatch that lay upon the wall, revealing a control panel. "Okay, can you grab that lever?"

Lightning reached for a metal pole beside the furnace. "Ready?"

Hope pushed at a series of buttons, simultaneously tuning a dial. "Yeah."

Lightning heaved the lever back, and she released it once a flame had burst to life within the furnace, quickly spreading out to coat the inner layers of the kiln.

Hope closed the hatch with a small smile, and he reached for one of the bars. "Thanks... I'll get these going, but they have an extremely high melting point." He positioned the bar within a shallow dish, before he pushed it into the furnace. "We might be able to get it up and running by the day after tomorrow... A few days, at most."

Lightning watched as the flames quivered beside the bar of ethereal energy, and her eyes widened. "The pattern it creates..." She knelt down to stare into the heat. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

Hope followed her gaze. "Well... I don't think that you're actually 'seeing' it." He pushed another dish into the kiln. "From what you've said about how your 'eyes' interpret things, I think it's more like thermal imaging."

Lightning shrugged. "It seems very similar to how I 'saw' before."

Hope nodded, and he placed a third dish within the furnace. "You aren't _missing_ anything, I'm sure." He leaned back to brush a bit of hair away from his face. "If you can pick up the energy in there..." Hope paused to think for a moment. "Look at the bars themselves, okay? Tell me what you see."

Lightning squinted. "I see... Atoms." She took a deep breath, focusing on the energy that swirled within her eye sockets. "They're starting to move."

Hope's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

After a moment, Lightning rose to her feet, nodding.

Hope stood in silence for a while as he gazed down at the bricks. "That's... Pretty incredible."

Lightning said nothing, but she closed her eyes with a shrug.

* * *

Snow walked out to stand beside the railing, leaning over with a sigh. "Hey... How're you guys holding up?"

Fang slowly raised her bandaged arm. "Seen better days, honestly..." She took a deep breath, holding it in her lungs for a moment. "But it's good to be back with you guys."

Sazh chuckled. "Better than a fancy estate, huh?"

Fang rolled her eyes at Sazh. "Better than being a _servant_." She grit her teeth, shaking her head. "You _know_ I'd rather be bleeding out with a gun in my hand, than standing around at those stupid parties..."

Sazh raised a single eyebrow. "Even with the steak?"

Fang paused for a moment, and her gaze went distant. "I _do_ miss the steak."

Snow let out a laugh, before he closed his eyes with a grin. "I'm starting to think that they could wipe out the human race a _whole_ lot easier..." He opened his eyes, clearing his throat to imitate a monotone voice. "Greetings, human! Please help yourself to the refreshments, we promise that they are definitely not poisoned."

Fang snorted, and her eyes narrowed with mirth. "How do you know that they aren't _already_ doing that?"

Snow's smile fell. "Uh..." He scratched at the back of his neck. "Because I haven't dropped dead from eating anything in the past few years?"

Fang grinned a bit. "Good enough." She paused for a moment. "But really... _Think_ about it, why don't they just wipe it all out in a single blow?" Fang glanced over at Sazh. "They way you described it; they have enough energy stored up in Euride to erase a small _continent_."

Sazh's eyes widened slightly. "That's... Actually a very good question."

Fang stood up from the floor, and she began to pace along the balcony again. "Back when the Ark fell... Remember those cannons?" She turned to face her friends, narrowing her eyes with a frown. "Those suckers could take out a _city, __given enough time__._"

Snow's breath caught. "Why don't they use them more often, then?"

Sazh thought for a moment, before he sat up straight. "Why are they holding back_?_" He rose to his feet, and he walked over to lean against the railing. "Lightning said that they _let_ her go, didn't she?"

Fang walked up to stand beside him. "Yeah." She copied his stance, gazing down at the world below. "We're missing something..." Fang snarled under her breath. "And I don't like it."

Snow clasped one of his hands into a fist, before he closed his other hand around it. "I'll tell you what we'll do..." He smirked at the horizon. "We're gonna get everyone back, and then we'll hit 'em where it _hurts_." Snow glanced down at a certain city, which lay far off in the distance. "Eden."

Fang chuckled under her breath. "Dream on..."

Snow shook his head. "I'm serious! If we can wipe them out before they have a chance to start another purge-"

Sazh cleared his throat. "They haven't had a purge in _years_; the only reason we even saw extended combat on the ground-" He stopped short for a moment, catching his breath. "It was because we _all_ had a grudge..." He glanced between Fang and Snow. "And because Lightning was there to lead us."

Fang grit her teeth. "She still _is_."

Sazh shrugged. "If that keeps you going, believe what you like." He pushed back from the railing, turning to walk towards the doorway. "Don't stay out too long; it'll be getting dark soon."

After the door swung shut, Fang closed her eyes with a sigh. "She's still in there."

Snow took a deep breath. "I hope you're right."

* * *

_Lightning?_

A soft word crossed her lips. "Serah..."

_Lightning..? Can you hear me?_

Lightning closed her eyes, jumping slightly at a knock upon her door.

A muffled voice. "Light? I'm coming in, okay?"

Lightning kept still upon her bed, her legs dangling over the edge.

The door creaked after a moment, and a pair of gentle footsteps padded along the floor. "Hey."

Lightning opened her eyes, gazing up at the familiar face. "Fang."

Fang tried to smile, but her lips only twitched, her eyes half-lidded. "I just talked with Hope; he said that we can probably make the jump, soon..." She sat down beside Lightning, threading her fingers together with a sigh.

Lightning kept silent for a while, before she slowly turned to face Fang. "I feel something strange."

Fang raised an eyebrow, and she turned around as well, folding her legs upon the bed. "Describe it."

Lightning inhaled, but she winced when a twinge of pain throbbed within her right lung. "There is something I _want, _for some reason..." She exhaled after a moment, before she gazed down at her bandaged wounds. "But I am unable to think of it."

Fang took Lightning's hand in her own, carefully tracing a thumb over her plated knuckles. "Relax." She leaned forward to press a short kiss upon Lightning's forehead, before she eased back to take hold of her other hand. "Now, focus."

Lightning closed her eyes once more, and she concentrated on the nagging sensation that lingered within the back of her mind. "There is something that I need to do." She paused upon a certain concept, one that stood out from the rest, before Lightning opened her eyes. "Smile?"

Fang raised an eyebrow at that, but she attempted to do as she was told. "Like this?"

Lightning honed in on the motion of each muscle, gazing along Fang's lips. "There is something important about that..." She narrowed her eyes. "Extremely important."

Fang shrugged a bit, before she released Lightning's hands, holding her own arms out. "Come here."

Lightning paused for a moment, before she slowly moved forward to sit upon Fang's lap. "Are your injuries-"

Fang let out a soft hiss, slowly shaking her head. "Just sit with me."

Lightning closed her eyes, and she relaxed after a moment, melding into the embrace. "This feels good."

Fang smiled a bit. "I sure missed it..." She traced over Lightning's sleeve, fingers curling around her wrist. "I don't blame you guys for regrouping first, before getting me out of there..." Fang's breath began to slow, relaxing into a gentle rhythm. "I thought about you every day, you know?"

Lightning opened her eyes. "I recalling doing the same."

Fang hugged her tight, and she pressed her face into Lightning's hair. "I know."

* * *

Vanille sat in silence, resting her fingertips against the skin beside her eyes. She took a deep breath, before she concentrated on the strange field of vision that stretched out before her. A pillar lay off in the distance, and Vanille stood, slowly walking over to touch it.

_Vanille?_

Vanille paused when her fingertips brushed along the marble. _Serah... It's weird._ She tapped against the stone. _I can tell that this is here, even without really 'seeing' it..._

Vanille could sense each movement that Serah made, and she turned to face her after a moment, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Serah smiled, and Vanille's eyes widened when she could sense the gesture as well.

Serah pointed at the temple walls. _Has Yeul been around, lately?_ She frowned a little. _It's hard to keep track of time in here._

Vanille nodded. _She was just over there, but I'm starting to think that this place changes, too..._ She walked over to an archway, gazing out into the shadows. _It flares up with energy once in a while._

Serah took a step forward, slowly reaching through the gap. _I can feel it._

Vanille began to walk under the archway, before she turned to face Serah. _I can 'see' something ahead; just follow me._

Serah nodded with a smile, before she walked out into the room. _Wait- _She glanced around, but Serah found that she could no longer see Vanille, as well as any other part of the temple, for that matter.

_I do not mean to cause you distress, but there is something that you must know._

Serah froze at the 'voice', and she slowly turned around, only to stare into twin wisps of purple energy.

Caius blinked once at Serah, surrounded by shadows. _The goddess cannot hear us, here._

Serah shivered, but she held her ground. _What are you talking about? What do I need to know?_

Caius turned, and he began to walk out into the darkness. _I have served as Yeul's sworn guardian since before recorded time... We were among some of the very first humans to have ever existed._

Serah's eyes widened as she followed after him.

Caius grit his teeth. _We watched over this land in silence, for many millennia... Until the gate was broken for the very first time._

Serah's gaze drifted along with the shadows, until it locked upon a single sliver of light that lay off in the distance.

Caius held up his arm, and a long, black blade snapped out from his wrist, slicing through the tendrils of shadow. _I made a powerful friendship in the process... But he had not been granted eternal life, as we had._ Caius paused for a moment, before he sheathed his blade. _He was only human._

Serah's breath caught.

Caius raised his arm once more, gazing along at his mechanical hand. _Slivers of the gods._ He met Serah's gaze. _Why do you think that Etro cannot see into this realm?_ Caius gestured at the darkness.

Serah thought for a moment. _Because of you?_

Caius nodded. _I've grown much too powerful for her liking._ He narrowed his eyes, before he turned to face the beam of light. _As have others..._

Serah followed his gaze. _Well... What do you want me to do?_ She began to blink as the brightness suddenly intensified, and Serah had to squint to shelter her eyes._ I just want to help my sister... We've been fighting for our lives; I don't know the first thing about gods!_

After a moment of stillness, Caius smirked. _Then you will learn._

Serah forced her eyes shut, clutching at her face to shield herself against the blinding light, before she fell to the floor.

_Serah?_

Serah slowly opened her eyes, and they widened upon spotting a pair of soft, blue... _Human_ irises.

A young man stood before her, gazing around at the temple. _That's your name, isn't it?_

Serah quickly rose to her feet, and she struggled to catch her breath. _Yes... Who are you?_ She glanced around the room with wide eyes. _What happened to everything?_

_My name's Noel._ He smiled at her, before he turned around to face another corridor. _If I'm awake... Then that means Caius wants me to lend a hand._

Serah took a step forward, glancing at the unusual weapons that were attached to Noel's back. _You're the one he was talking about..?_

Noel shrugged. _Might have been... Caius doesn't talk very much, but he's got his reasons._ Noel began to walk down the hallway. _Your friend should be around here, somewhere... Vanille, right?_

Serah nodded as she followed after him. _How do you know that?_

Noel smiled a bit. _You're new to this, aren't you?_

Serah frowned, but she continued to walk beside him. _Nah, I get dragged into alternate dimensions every other weekend... No big deal._

Noel grinned. _And a sense of humor!_ He strode through a junction, before he swung by the corner to face an open room. _Not everyday I get paired up with someone funny._

Serah tilted her head to the side. _I still don't get what you're talking about..._

Smiling, Noel glanced at the opposite doorway of the empty room, before he opened his mouth to speak; while Serah could not hear it, she could tell that he had only spoken a single word.

After a moment, Noel turned around to face Serah. _It would take me a while to explain everything, so for now, let's just say that I'm your guide._ He tipped his head back, gazing up at the stained glass ceiling. _Or a teacher... It looks like you have a lot to learn._

Serah gasped when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, but she relaxed upon seeing Vanille. _Hey... Where did you go?!_

Vanille pulled back from the hug with a half-hearted glare. _I could ask you the same thing!_

Noel chuckled at Vanille, to which her eyes widened.

_Who are you?_ Vanille took a step forward. _I think I heard you call my name, just now..._

Noel rolled his eyes. _Feels like I'm babysitting... Okay, my name is Noel, and I'm here to show you the ropes._

Vanille raised an eyebrow._ Ropes?_

Noel started off down the hall. _Try to keep up, now!_

Serah shared a glance with Vanille, before they ran off to catch up with Noel.


	9. Chapter 9

Fang lay back on the sofa, closing her eyes with a sigh. "Can you even _get_ any channels, up here?"

Sazh fiddled with the side of the television, his brow drawn in concentration. "Yeah, but it's a bit fuzzy." He pulled down a wire down from a panel within the wall, before he attached it into the back of the screen. "Hope's been piggybacking off of a satellite system based in Eden."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "But they can't detect us, right?"

Sazh shrugged. "You'll have to ask him..." He stepped back from the television, before he reached for the remote. "I really don't think he'd overlook something like that, though."

Fang smiled a bit when the screen lit up, crackling to life. "Wanna stay and watch with me?"

Sazh shook his head. "I could use a nap before dinner; it's hard to keep up after stunts like that, you know?"

Fang nodded at Sazh. "Sleep tight, pops."

Sazh rolled his eyes. "When did _you_ start calling me that?" He smirked at Fang. "Vanille used to-" Sazh paused, and his shoulders drooped with a sigh. "She'd call me that, too; with Dajh, it's almost always 'dad'."

Fang tried to smile, but her face felt weighted, and her muscles sore. "Well, she'll go right back to it, once we get her out..."

Sazh nodded after a moment, before he made his way to the door.

* * *

Bhakti wheeled about the desktop, chattering away to himself. The light from the windows began to fade, casting the room in gentle shadow, but Bhakti continued on, careful not to disturb the piles of paper that lay along the desk.

A door creaked open, and Bhakti paused for a moment, before he turned around to see a familiar face. "Greetings, Lightning... I have actually been meaning to speak with you."

Lightning sat down on one of the rolling chairs, and she swiveled over to face Bhakti. "Yes?"

Bhakti kept silent for a moment, before he lowered his voice to a lower volume. "I have received a great deal of new information, that of which will undoubtedly be of use to you in your coming venture."

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Bhakti paused, humming quietly. "My sources would rather remain confidential, however..." When Lightning gave him no response, Bhakti continued. "The dimension known as Valhalla... Did Vanille ever explain to you the exact process of my creation?"

Lightning shook her head.

Bhakti turned to face the wall, and he quickly drew up a series of blueprints on the monitors above. "From what Vanille has told me; during the period in which she and Fang were independent militants, she obtained a type of... 'Shard', from the body of a fallen machine."

Another image appeared upon the screen, that of a octagonal, translucent stone, and Lightning's eyelids twitched. "It looks-"

Bhakti turned to face her. "Ethereal, yes... I believe that it also originated in Valhalla."

Lightning looked between Bhakti and the blueprints. "That would also explain your level of cognitive thought."

Bhakti hummed, trilling quietly. "I have drawn the same conclusion!" He examined Lighting for a moment. "But, on to the information itself... I believe that Valhalla is a realm of consciousness, shared by all manner of machines." Bhakti pulled up the video feed from Lightning's previous journey. "Between this, and the security footage of Odin's disappearance..." A video of the resting machines appeared as well, and after a moment of stillness, Odin began to shimmer, before he faded into seemingly nowhere. "The evidence would suggest that once a machine has powered down, their consciousness is drawn into Valhalla."

Lightning narrowed her eyes at the footage. "That... That looks like he deployed a shroud."

Bhakti took a moment to examine the video. "I believe that you are correct."

Lightning leaned back in her chair. "It would also explain why _we_ were able to come back."

Bhakti hummed, and the screen went blank. "I have thought the same." He turned in place, leaning slightly over the edge of the desk. "I must ask, however... The events that occurred earlier today; what happened during that period, exactly? When you say that you were... 'Changed'."

Lightning closed her eyes to think, gently swiveling back and forth in her chair. "I was restrained for a while, until they came out."

Bhakti's mechanical eyes traced along Lightning's blank expression, examining her quiet features. "They?"

Lightning nodded. "Dozens of them... All like me."

Bhakti paused for a moment, before he began to move across the desk, attaching himself to a terminal beside the monitors. "Were they humans?"

Lightning scoffed under her breath. "Not anymore." She opened her eyes, abandoning the holograms to reveal each wisp of swirling energy. "It was as if... As if I could hear them all thinking at once, but then, absolutely _nothing_... Dead silence." Lightning leaned back, and she narrowed her eyes at the ceiling. "But I saw... _So_ much information; it was as if they tried to pour out everything into my mind, but I had no chance of processing the bulk of it."

Bhakti hummed in agreement. "A human mind is many things... Far superior to ours in some ways, but you lack the same level of efficiency." He detached from the wall, before he rolled over to the edge of the desk. "This is a recording that you once made." With one of his tiny, mechanical arms, Bhakti held out a flash drive. "Perhaps it would help if you listened to it."

Lightning's face twitched, and her eyes widened slightly. "Thank you."

Bhakti hummed once she had taken it, before he rolled back across the deck. "You are most welcome... If you happen to encounter Hope within the next hour or so, please let him know that the furnace sensors are reporting... A most _unusual_ composition of ethereal gas from the samples that you retrieved."

Lightning's fingers curled around the flash drive, gripping it against her palm. "I will." She stood up after a moment, before she walked over to the door. "Thank you again, Bhakti."

Bhakti settled atop his charging station. "Of course."

* * *

Fang's gaze drifted in and out of focus, before she yawned, glancing away from the television with a sigh. "Not a damn thing to watch..."

"We have a limited amount of channels."

Fang nearly jumped, and she attempted to hide a cringe at the monotone voice. "Hey, Light... I didn't hear you come in."

Lightning glanced back at the open door. "It was not my intention to-"

Fang shook her head. "Come here."

After a moment, Lightning walked forward, and she set down the flash drive upon the coffee table, before she moved to stand beside the sofa.

Fang stared up at Lightning's eyes, gazing deep into the twin wisps of energy. "Do you think... Maybe you can start using contractions again?" She frowned at the blankness that encompassed Lightning's features, and Fang's gaze lingered upon the scattered, shallow cuts that lay along her pale skin. "It's just a little creepy, otherwise."

After a moment of silence, Lightning nodded. "I will-" She paused, before her holographic eyes settled back into place. "I'll try."

Fang smiled. "C'mere." She held out her arms, slowly wrapping them around Lightning's chest as they began to settle into a relaxed embrace. "We're gonna get through this, you know."

Lightning nodded against Fang's neck, and her eyelids began to droop when Fang stroked along her back, massaging around her shoulder blades. "That feels good..."

Fang smiled. "It should." She began to press deeper into the lithe muscle, rubbing her thumbs in lazy circles. "Remember when you broke your ankle, back in the day?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, slowly inhaling Lightning's scent. "So stubborn... I'd always have to work out the kinks when you'd get it all messed up again."

Lightning said nothing, but she let out a long sigh.

Fang chuckled under her breath. "But... I guess it made up for all you did for us."

Lightning closed her eyes.

Fang's fingers slowed, lingering beside Lightning's neck. "I never thanked you enough, back then." Her lips parted slightly, and Fang leaned forward to press a kiss against the top of Lightning's head. "We made a damn good team."

Lightning's fingers twitched, digging deep into the fabric of the sofa. "I _failed_, Fang."

Fang shook her head. "We all failed..." She began to weave her fingers into Lightning's hair, stroking along her scalp. "It wasn't your fault."

Lightning nearly shivered. "I wasn't strong enough."

Fang silenced her with a quiet hiss. "We have a chance to fix it." She closed her eyes, and her hands settled back along the base of Lightning's neck. "Just stay _with_ me on this, alright?"

Lightning could only nod in silence, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

She opened her eyes to witness a great darkness, stretching out further than she could see. A single step took her nowhere, so she paused, gazing around at the churning shadows.

"Your name was once Claire."

Lightning froze, before she turned to the side, facing a soft, fluttering sphere of light. "What is this place?"

The sphere undulated, slowly dispersing into a cloud of shimmering dust. "But you had to be strong."

Lightning narrowed her eyes as a pair of glowing wisps appeared within the haze. "What are you?"

Green eyes stared back at her. "What are _you_?"

Lightning paused, processing the question. "I am... Me."

A lithe smile twitched within the darkness. "But of course."

Lightning stood in silence for a moment, before she closed her eyes. "I am... _I'm_ not the same." Her voice cracked for a moment, but it soon evened out into a monotone once more. "Do you know what changed?"

The eyes almost seemed to blink, flickering in the shadows. "Perhaps you lost something?"

Lightning nodded. "I can still _feel_, but... It's like I'm _numb._" She opened her eyes, slowly blinking back the unbidden moisture. "I can _tell_ that I'm feeling sad, but there's something... Gone."

Another smile awaited her, slowly fading as it curled back into the shade. "Be strong."

Lightning narrowed her eyes, and she could only watch as her fingertips began to blur, melding out into the gathering darkness.

* * *

Snow lay on his back, and he gazed up at the ceiling with a frown. "Serah..." He clutched at the locket beside his neck, and his eyes began to grow damp. "Can you hear me, babe?" Snow's voice was a whisper, his throat choked with emotion. "I know I heard _you_, out there..."

A gentle, encompassing sensation began to wash over his mind, and Snow fought the urge to sit up, instead laying still beneath the sudden, overwhelming sense of detachment. "Are you really there?" His gaze went distant for a moment, before the sensation began to fade, and Snow was left in silence.

* * *

Serah snapped back to the present, and her eyes widened._ Snow?_

Vanille looked over at her with a tiny frown. _Serah, he's not here anymore..._

Serah shook her head. _But I heard him, just now!_

Vanille reached over to gently squeeze at Serah's shoulder. _Maybe it's a side effect..._ She pointed at one of Serah's ears. _I can 'see' a lot of stuff that I couldn't, before... Maybe you have better hearing._

Serah shrugged, and her shoulders slumped. _I don't know; I just want to find a way out of here._

Vanille looked around at the temple walls, glancing along the archways that lay before them._ Noel should be back soon, right?_ Her gaze lingered upon a faint energy signal, which flickered off in the distance. _We could ask him how to get out._

Serah nodded with a sigh._ I'm just not sure about any of this... What the heck is he supposed to be teaching us, anyway?_

_Care to find out?_

Serah jumped, and she whirled around to see Noel, who grinned down at them from atop a marble balcony.

With a shiver, Vanille attempted to catch her breath, and she sent Noel a half-hearted glare. _How are you so quiet?!_

Noel shrugged, reaching for his back. _Think fast._

Serah let out a gasp when Noel lunged forward, and she barely was able to draw her sword out in time to clash back against one of his strange, pronged weapons.

Noel smirked. _Pretty good._

Serah grit her teeth, struggling to keep her arm braced out against the force of Noel's blow. _What are you doing?!_

Noel tilted his head to the side, before he flipped away with a quiet laugh, narrowly avoiding a whistling strike from Vanille, who had sent her wires forward with a shout, twisting them about in a coiled, whirling storm of metal and prongs.

Noel darted along the temple floor, unsheathing his second weapon to block Vanille's attacks, simultaneously firing off a series of energy blasts from the barrel of his first, sword-like contraption.

Serah flipped out her sword to take on its bow form, and she reached for an arrow with a snarl. _I thought you were going to help us!_

Noel ducked beneath another strike from Vanille while he raced along the tile floor._ I am._

Vanille winced as Serah's arrow collided into the wall with a earsplitting crack, landing mere inches away from where Noel had stood moments before.

With a hiss, Serah snapped her bow back into its sword shape, and she lunged forward to crash against Noel's second weapon. _And just how is this helping?!_

Noel stared into Serah's eyes, a glimmer of mirth in his own._ I just figured that you'd like to learn by example, rather than have me drone on about Valhalla..._ He suddenly jerked forward, twisting his second, hooked weapon around to throw Serah off balance, simultaneously swiping forward with his first. _You're already real good with that sword, aren't you?_

Serah righted herself after a moment, and she whirled back around to swipe at Noel's legs.

Noel leapt high into the air, before he flipped back down to hack away at the tangle of wires that began to swarm about his arms. _Why do you think that is, huh?_ He turned around to face Serah, ducking to the side when another arrow flew in his direction. _I doubt that many people are still using that kind of weaponry, especially after all this time..._

Serah paused, and she winced when Noel's first weapon drew a shallow cut upon her arm. _I'm not about to question it!_

Noel chuckled to himself as he threw out his hooked blade to catch Serah's mechanical hand, yanking it to the side. _It's because of Valhalla._

Serah attempted to pull her arm back, but Noel held fast, and he shook his head at Vanille while lowering his other weapon._ I've seen enough... Let's talk._

Vanille narrowed her eyes at Noel, but she retracted her wires, stepping forward with a frown. _Why did you attack us?_

Noel released Serah's hand, and he began to sheathe both of his weapons._ I just wanted to see how far you'd gotten on your own._ He smiled a bit, walking over to lean back against a nearby pillar. _Valhalla's real special... It starts to grow on you, after a while._

Serah's stomach sank, and her eyes widened. _Literally..._

Noel nodded._ I was lucky to avoid the brunt of it, thanks to Caius... But I'm still connected all the same._ He closed his eyes in thought. _I know it's a lot to take in, but just try to follow along; I want you to open your mind for a moment... Try to imagine a bunch of people, all joined together by invisible streams of energy._

Serah paused, before she closed her eyes as well. _Okay... What now?_

Noel's eyes slowly opened, and Serah gasped when she could sense it, even while hers were closed.

_We're all together, here._ Noel smiled a bit, gently tapping his foot against the marble. _Now... Try to think about me, or who I am._

Serah nodded in silence, and she grit her teeth in concentration.

Noel shook his head. _No, think of it like this... Try to find my 'origin'._

Vanille took a step forward. _Are you serious..?_

Serah opened her eyes to look at Vanille. _What's-_

Vanille suddenly shook her head with a distant smile. _That can't really be... Real, can it?_

Noel let out a soft chuckle, before he nodded at Serah. _Try again._

Serah slowly closed her eyes once more, and an odd sensation began to wander throughout her mind, seeping out into her thoughts at a rapid, burning pace. _Is this..?_ Her breath caught as a barrage of information was swept into her consciousness, spreading out in torrential waves of both images and sound, and her mind was quickly flooded with memories.

She could suddenly envision the blurred perspective of young man as he was impaled by a spear, his last breath escaping with a ragged cry, before both of his arms went slack, dropping twin weapons upon the blooded ground.

Serah gasped as the perspective's throat was quickly cut, and she subconsciously reached for her own neck, wincing at the stifling sensation. _That was..._

Noel let out a sigh. _I found them, one day._ He reached for his first weapon, lowering it to reveal a small device that was implanted upon the side._ I never knew where they really came from... Not until I ended up in here._

Serah trembled as the memory shifted; Noel's point of view lingered upon the hazy sky, before it shuddered, lurching out into one of his fallen weapons.

Vanille spoke up. _That's amazing! Where did you find them?_

Noel ran his fingertips along the prongs of his weapon, and his brow furrowed in thought. _You can see for yourself, if you like... That memory isn't hidden._

Serah opened her eyes. _Hidden?_

Noel nodded, and he leaned forward from the wall, standing directly before them. _Our entire minds... Valhalla can tap into everything._ Smirking, he gently rapped his knuckles against Serah's forehead. _You should probably start hiding some of yours._

Serah froze, while a blush creeped out along her neck and face. _How about you get out of my head, instead?!_

Noel only shrugged, laughing under his breath. _This 'Snow' is a lucky guy, that's all..._ He set his hands on his sides, addressing them both._ If you look hard enough, there's an entire network to explore; even I haven't seen all of it, and I'm looking at... _Noel tilted his head to the side._ At least a couple dozen centuries, here._

Vanille's eyes widened. _Just how long ago, did you..?_

Noel shook his head. _I've had a long time to get used to it, so don't worry._ He turned to walk out beneath an archway, waving them forward._ Caius told me that I was the first he'd ever seen make it through... Besides himself and Yeul, of course._

Serah followed after him, but her mind lingered along the shifting array of memories that had fanned out before her. _I was meaning to ask, about them..._

Noel slowed his pace. _You've got a gap in there, don't you?_ He glanced over his shoulder to examine Serah's expression._ Caius is the only one who can wake me up, so he must have talked with you, first... Whatever it was, he wanted that conversation to stay private._

Serah nodded at that, and she drifted back into silence.

Vanille spoke up after a moment, glancing between them._ Is everything okay?_

Serah nodded again, but she could only attempt to ignore the sudden swell of unease in her stomach, and she closed her eyes with a sigh.


	10. Chapter 10

Tracing her fingertips along the flash drive, Lightning closed the door behind her, before she padded over to stand beside her closet. With a soft sigh, she knelt down to rummage through her belongings, and she soon rose with a weathered laptop in her arms. Sitting down upon the bed, she opened the computer to start it up, before she gently pushed the flash drive into an empty slot.

After a moment of processing, a familiar voice broke out through a cloud of muffled static. "And I know it's going to be expensive, but if we don't start taking this seriously... We have everything to lose!"

Lightning stared into the screen, and she almost began to blink in time with the rapid display of wavelength.

The voice continued on, rising in tone. "We've _all_ lost people to this, families, friends... Are you just going to let that keep happening?!" A loud clatter sounded over the recording. "Stand _with_ us!"

Lightning's upper lip twitched, and her fingers curled upon her palm.

"We're taking it back... Whether you help us, or not!" The voice paused for a moment, before it softened to near whisper. "And if my sister can't speak out against you... _I_ will."

Lightning slowly leaned toward the speakers, and a small sound caught itself in her throat as she traced her fingertips over the flash drive.

Her own voice broke the silence. "Serah... Enough."

"But they _can't_ just-"

"They can, and they will." Her voice paused with a sigh, before it lowered to a whisper. "We need to leave."

"...No."

"Serah! You need to remember who-"

"No, _you_ need to remember!" Serah's voice nearly cracked with raw emotion as she struggled to keep herself composed. "What happened to no compromises?! No distractions? They can't just sit this one out, and I won't let them!"

For an agonizing moment, not a word was spoken, until a calm, low voice broke the silence. "It's... It's not often that the council witnesses such passion, especially in times such as these." Lightning could hear the sound of a chair scraping over the floor. "Miss Farron, I ask that you allow us all an hour to deliberate on the matter at hand." The voice paused, before the speaker cleared his throat. "_Commander_ Farron, please see your sister along."

Lightning nearly winced at the sound of her own voice, which came out in a much higher pitch than she would have liked. "General Raines... Of course." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Serah, come with me."

The recording clicked off, and Lightning slowly closed her eyes, before the tiniest hint of a smile played over her lips.

* * *

Serah leaned over the side of the balcony, gazing down at the featherlight machine that lay below. Her fingers curled around the railing, and she began to shake her head at the temple walls.

_Hey... What's wrong?_

Serah glanced over her shoulder to see Vanille, before she took a deep breath. _I'm just wondering how we're supposed to do all of this._

Vanille smiled, leaning back on the archway._ I guess the gods like to keep things pretty vague, huh?_ She looked down at her hands, slowly flexing her mechanical fingers. _I've been looking around in the network that Noel mentioned, but it's like a maze..._

Serah released her hands from the railing, before she turned around to face Vanille. _I haven't really tried it, yet._ She took a deep breath, before she stood up straight, walking back towards the archway._ I don't think it's really even meant for us, you know?_ Serah began to walk down the hall, glancing back to make sure that Vanille had followed her._ Let's see if we can ask for a way out of here._

Vanille nodded, but her gaze lingered upon the temple walls._ I just hope that Dajh hasn't gotten into any trouble..._ She glanced up at the domed ceiling as they walked out into the main chambers. _But this place... It feels safe, somehow._

Serah paused beside the pedestal. _It's like we're detached from everything, isn't it?_ She knelt down before the machine, bowing her head. _Etro? __If you can hear me... Can you please show us a way out?_

All was silent for a long moment, until a quiet tread of footsteps echoed out from behind a pillar. _You seek Taejin's Tower._

Serah glanced up to see each wisp of dark hair that fluttered beside soft, ghostly skin. _Yeul?_

Yeul continued to face the wall, but she raised her hand, slowly tracing along the marble surface. _The goddess has spoken, and you may leave._ She turned in place, and a set of piercing, green eyes cut straight through the heavenly light of the altar. _One of many, voice of all; mind the serpent, and do not fall._

Serah's blood ran cold when Yeul's body dispersed into a cloud of billowing dust, revealing a darkened doorway within the marble wall.

* * *

Snow stepped out into the hallway, before he paused beside a closed door. "Light?" He gently knocked by the door-frame. "I think Fang's making dinner... You _might_ want to intervene before we have to start looking for alternative real-estate."

After a moment of silence, Lightning pushed through the door, and she quickly handed off the flash drive to Snow. "When you have the time, listen to that... But _don't_ lose it." She examined Snow's expression from the corner of her eye. "I might have changed, but Serah's still with me..." Lightning closed her eyes, pausing beside the stairwell. "After all of this is over... You had _better_ make her happy."

As Lightning's footsteps grew distant, Snow kept completely still, before a wide smile spread over his face.

* * *

"Nuh-uh, _you_ back off, mister!" Fang held up a spatula in her hand, simultaneously guarding the sizzling pan that lay upon the stove. "I _had_ to learn all this frilly, epicurean bullshit, and I'll be damned if I don't put it to good use!"

"Okay, relax!" Sazh backed away from the stove to slowly take his seat at the kitchen table. "Just wanted to make sure that you hadn't used the wrong-" Sazh winced when the spatula smacked against the back of his chair. "Alright, alright!"

Fang smirked to herself while she poked at a combination of steaming vegetables and meat. "You just watch; if this doesn't make Lightning happy, nothing will."

Sazh chuckled under his breath. "Eh... I have a feeling that food isn't quite what she needs, right now."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "Oh, really?" She uncovered a steaming container of roasted, mini-potatoes. Pulling one out with a fork, Fang sprinkled a bit of reddish spice along the surface. "Have a taste of _this_, then."

Sazh quirked a single eyebrow as he accepted the utensil, but he slowly took a bite of the potato, chewing with a thoughtful expression.

Fang leaned back against the counter, and she crossed her arms. "Well?"

Sazh rolled his eyes at her, before he handed back an empty fork. "Someone's sure earning her keep."

Fang bit back a grin as she set the fork down on the counter. "More like extra credit, if you ask me..." She took hold of the sizzling pan, tossing about the contents with her spatula. "You should've _seen_ Light at the buffet table! Poor girl looked like she hadn't splurged in months."

Sazh closed his eyes for a moment. "She hasn't."

Fang paused, before she glanced over her shoulder at Sazh. "When we-" She froze for a moment, gripping the handle of the pan until her knuckles turned white. "When it all happened, we couldn't have done it any differently." Fang's jaw tightened. "We... We took all the necessary precautions, dammit!" She exhaled through her teeth, and her hair spilled back as she held up her chin, closing her eyes. "Seeing her, back there... I didn't even think it was happening, at first; I thought that if by some stroke of luck, if Hope had made it out, too... That she'd just run off and keep him safe." Fang opened her eyes to switch off the flame, before she let go the pan handle with a sigh. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for storming off, back then..." She turned around to look at Sazh. "Well, actually, you were pretty _dead_ at that point."

Sazh attempted a laugh. "Well, Vanille had- _You know,_ by then... I don't really blame you."

Fang leaned back on the counter, slowly swiveling her heel against the floor. "It's probably gonna get even rougher from here on out, but I really can't say I'm regretting it." She stood up straight after a moment, walking over to the kitchen door. "Oi, the three of you! Unless you want dinner to freeze, you'd better get your butts in here!"

After a moment of silence, a rolling chair rumbled against the floor, and Hope wheeled into the kitchen with a grin. "Fang, that smells awesome!"

Fang smirked over at Sazh, before she turned to face the counter. "Well, I've had a lot of practice in the past few months, kiddo." She began to dish up a plate for both Hope and Sazh, as well as one of her own. "Hey, have you seen Light and Snow? They're gonna-" Fang paused when a pair of quiet footsteps sounded within the doorway, and she turned, before her eyes widened.

Lightning stood in a relaxed stance, gazing over the kitchen table with calm, steady eyes. "Thank you, Fang."

Fang froze in place for a moment, before she began to smile. "You look good, Light." She handed over a plate, squeezing Lightning's shoulder as they sat down together. "Feeling better?"

Lightning blinked once, and she turned to examine Fang's expression. "Somewhat."

Fang nodded with a shrug, spearing a potato with her fork. "Glad to hear it, now eat up." She smiled at Lightning, and she soon waved over at Snow as he walked into the kitchen. "Grab a plate, big guy." Fang nodded at the counter. "You're gonna need it."

* * *

Serah paced along the temple floor, glancing out into the dark, open passageway.

_Leaving already, huh?_

Serah paused, before she looked over her shoulder to spot a familiar face.

_Don't worry about Yeul; most of them are just big fans of cryptic messages._ Noel smiled, leaning back on a pillar._ Let's just say that out there... You're probably going to be putting that bow to good use._

Serah paled a bit, but she walked over to stand beside Noel. _What do you mean, 'most of them'?_

Noel nodded. _Lemme ask you this... How do you think that we've survived for so long in here?_ His gaze lingered at Serah's ears. _Noel died a long time ago, Serah._

Serah's stomach sank as she thought back to her own entry of Valhalla, and her eyes widened. _But... Lightning said that she could bring us back!_

Noel began to search through Serah's available memories._ Big sis came in to get you? Wow..._ He raised a single eyebrow. _That must have been rough._

Serah took a deep breath, rubbing at her eyes with a sigh. _She tried to bring me back with her, but I wasn't able to get out._ She looked over at the doorway, staring into the darkness._ I... I could tell that she was struggling to carry all of us through, so after a while... I just let go._

Noel slowly placed his hand on Serah's shoulder._ Chin up, okay?_ He pointed at the doorway. _Taejin's tower is within the domain of Lindzei, among others..._ Noel waited for Serah to meet his gaze. _That's one of the gods who watches over the bordering realms... It sounds like Yeul thinks you could find a way out through there._

Serah tried to smile, but her lungs felt heavy, and her breath began to slow. _Okay._

Noel nodded at Serah. _But I think that you could definitely use a hand, out there._ He winced at the door._ The 'snakes' are very good at certain things... Things like working their way through the framework of Valhalla... But they're also pretty nasty to intruders._

Serah's mechanical hand tightened into a fist. _Well, t____hey're no__t going to stop me._

Noel grinned. _That's the spirit!_ He turned, facing the room._ Sounds like Vanille's headed over._

Serah followed his gaze, and she smiled when both Vanille and Dajh walked into view, the latter running up to wave at Serah with a smile.

Serah smiled back at Dajh, and she knelt down to give him a quick hug_. Hey! Are you doing okay?_

Dajh nodded, and he pointed at Chocolina, who had perched on his shoulder._ We're going home, right?_

Serah nodded as well. _I think so... But you need to stay very close to us, okay? There might be something scary in the place that we're going._

With a frown, Dajh tilted his head to the side._ Monsters?_

Noel stepped forward, and he handed Dajh a device from his pocket. _Just use this if you get scared, kiddo._

Serah examined the object. _A shroud?_

Noel nodded, before he smiled down at Chocolina, as well as the pair of mechanical creatures that began to walk into the room. _Hey, look at that..._ He waved at the horse-like beings._ Long time, no see!_

Vanille looked over at Noel. _You know them?_

Noel nodded. _Yeah, just take a look at my memories; these guys are guardians of Etro's domain._ He nodded at the machines._ Heck, I'd bet they're even older than Caius._

Nix walked forward to stand beside Serah, before she lowered to kneel on the floor.

Dajh suddenly perked up, and he ran over stand at Nix's side. _Really?_ He stared at the machine for a moment, before he let out a laugh when Chocolina fluttered up to perch atop Nix's head.

Serah raised a single eyebrow at Dajh. _Hey, what's up?_

Dajh looked over at Serah. _Nix says I can ride on her back!_

Serah smiled a bit. _You can hear her, too?_ She looked deep into Nix's eyes, startling slightly when a stream of memories fluttered out into her field of consciousness.

Noel chuckled as he helped Dajh climb up to Nix's back._ Hold tight, kiddo... Eidolons can get real fast._

Dajh grinned as Nix rose to her feet, standing at a taller height than even Noel.

Vanille tapped at Noel's shoulder. _Eidolons?_

Noel rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile. _How many times to I have to say it? Just take a look through my available memories._ He pointed at the door. _But we can talk more on the way; for now, we'd better get moving._

Serah began to walk forward, following after Noel. _In your memories... The Eidolons, they can all talk?_

Noel nodded._ It takes a bit of experience to tap into it, but every machine speaks the same language, in the end._ He passed through the doorway, melding into the shadows. _You coming?_

Serah slowly took a step forward, but she winced when the darkness flared out before her, spreading about in waves as she walked through the barrier.

Noel smiled at Serah, as well as Vanille, who hopped through as well. Hecatoncheir began to ease himself through the door, before Nix followed after him with Dajh and Chocolina on her back.

Serah glanced around at the shadows._ Off we go?_

Noel nodded.

* * *

Lightning lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling with her eyes half-lidded. "I still don't see why this is necessary."

Fang sent Lightning a pointed look, but she continued to layer a coat of red nail polish upon her mechanical fingertips. "It's _not_ necessary, but I want-" She paused for a moment, slowly curling her fingers around Lightning's wrist. "I _want_ to do this for you, Light."

Lightning kept silent.

Fang began to dip her brush into a bottle of the polish. "Let's just hope Serah doesn't mind that I raided her bathroom cabinets..."

Lightning's upper lip twitched. "She hasn't even seen this place, yet."

Fang began to hum under her breath, gazing down at the intricate metalwork of Lightning's hand. "So... It just ended up like this? In Valhalla, I mean."

Lightning nodded. "By the time that we began to cross back, the muscles in my arm weren't functioning at all... And I was nearly blind." She nodded at her arm. "There must be some sort of translational program within the conduit; my hand also has a small blade, and a lighter."

Fang raised a single eyebrow, but she kept her gaze fixed on her work. "Those must come in handy."

Lightning shrugged with her free arm. "I suppose."

Fang dipped the brush back into the bottle, before she brought it back down upon Lightning's smallest fingertip. "You think I'll be getting something nifty, tomorrow?" She pursed her lips, holding up Lightning's hand to gently blow against the paint. "I mean, Sazh has that thing on his arm, as well as his hand."

Lightning watched as Fang continued to dry the nail polish. "His legs, too."

Fang glanced over at Lightning, before she lowered both of their hands. "And Snow's got his fists... Hope didn't go in, right?"

Lightning nodded as Fang picked up her other hand, lowering the brush against her human fingernails. "He stayed back to keep track of us." She kept silent for a while while Fang continued her work, and Lightning's eyelids began to droop, easing her breath into a gentle rhythm. "As for you... I'm not sure; I think it will depend on how long you stay inside."

After a while, Fang slowly set down Lightning's hand to admire her work. "Well, for Vanille... I'm willing to lose a limb or two." She settled back against the bed, sitting beside Lightning. "Like you did for Serah."

Lightning opened her eyes half-way. "I'm sorry..." Her voice cracked. "For leaving you with them."

Fang shook her head. "There was no way in _hell_ for you to get me out alone." She grabbed at Lightning's wrist with a gentle squeeze. "That's why I cuffed you in the first place, dummy... Didn't want you to throw your life away!"

Lightning's lips parted by a fraction. "I would have come back for you; even if the others hadn't been-" She paused, blinking back a bit of moisture. "We'll see them, soon."

Fang smiled at that, and she leaned forward to brush her lips along Lightning's cheek. "I know, love."

Lightning closed her eyes. "Thank you."

Fang settled down beside her, wrapping her arms around Lightning's midsection. "I'm here, you know?" She nuzzled into Lightning's shoulder. "Don't get too caught up in the past, now."

Lightning nodded as she rolled over, burying her face into Fang's hair. "I don't want to lose myself..."

Fang reached up to clutch at Lightning's back. "You won't."

Lightning could only breathe into the embrace, squeezing her eyes shut with a sigh.


	11. Chapter 11

A metallic path stretched out through the masses of wires and energy, folding in on itself in a nearly nonsensical display of pitch and depth.

Vanille glanced along the twisting pathway, and she carefully stepped away from a yawning gap within the sleek, winding surface. _Just how far do you think we've gotten?_ She frowned at the abyssal stretch that lay out before them._ It's hard to keep track..._

Noel shrugged. _We're actually going to need something else, first._ He pushed through a swarm of metallic fibers, before stepping through the gap to enter a completely different realm._ That tower isn't going to __just __ open for anybody._

Serah frowned as she followed after Noel. _How do we get in, then?_

Noel as he sat down upon a floating sheet of metal, before he pointed up at a mass of swirling energy. _This area's about to change; just hold tight for a minute._

Serah walked over to sit beside Noel, simultaneously glancing around at the seemingly endless drop that surrounded them. _Hey... Why aren't we falling, here?_

Noel smirked to himself. _Because Valhalla doesn't play by the same rules... If the guardian of a certain domain likes having zero gravity, that's what you get._

Vanille took a tentative step out into the swirling mist, and her eyes widened when she began to float along in the air. Hecatoncheir and Nix drifted out beside her, and Dajh laughed at the sudden weightlessness that overcame the pair of Eidolons, as well as himself.

Serah smiled at Dajh and Vanille, before she turned to face Noel once more. _In your memories, I'm only seeing a little bit about Etro... She's the goddess of that temple, right?_

Noel nodded. _She was one of the original few, from what I've learned in the database._ He gestured at the path that they had walked, which began to twist and fray, dissolving in on itself._ The gods aren't all so ancient; Etro holds more territory than most could ever hope to see._

Vanille giggled as she spun around in place, before she drifted over to float beside Serah. _You should really try this!_

Serah smiled, but she shook her head._ I think I'd just get dizzy._

Vanille shrugged. _So, Noel... I'm not sure how to ask you this, really._ She paused for a moment, before she floated back down to sit beside him. _What did you mean back there, about how you've survived in Valhalla?_

Noel bit at his bottom lip in thought._ It's like... A fragment, or a memory._ He leaned back, gazing up at the spiraling mass of energy that twisted about while slowly spinning above. _Yeul's got a whole lot of copies running around, but I've made due with just the one. _Noel smiled to himself._ Caius sends me out whenever someone gets stuck in Valhalla, like you guys._

Serah sat up straight. _What do you mean, though?_

Noel closed his eyes. _My memories, my personality... All stored in a little chip that Caius carries around._ He stretched out his arms, rolling his shoulders. _It keeps me 'alive', in a sense, and he wakes me up once in a while to keep things interesting._

Vanille's eyes widened slightly. _So... Most of the time, you're trapped in there?_

Noel opened his eyes with a smirk._ Well, my consciousness can still wander around the grid, of course... But I've been here for centuries, so it's not like I'm missing much._

Vanille nodded in though, dangling her legs over the edge of the abyss. _You don't miss being alive?_

Noel shook his head. _Not really._ He narrowed his eyes at the gathering shadows, before he swatted them away with his hands. _Let's just say that the era I lived in wasn't very-_ Noel let out a sigh. _We were at war, simple as that._

Serah's shoulders drooped. _I know what that's like..._ She ran her fingers over the metallic wiring of her bowstring, coiled tight within her wrist._ Lightning and I have been fighting them since we were kids._

Noel raised a single eyebrow._ Them?_

_Can't you see what happens, back there?_ Serah tiled her head to the side. _Almost the entire world... It's been constant war for years, now!_

Noel kept silent for a moment, before he rose to his feet._ I can't see much outside of Valhalla..._ He waited for Serah to stand up as well, before he reached into his pocket, retrieving a small, blue device. _Break that in half if you need a hand, out there._ Noel handed the chip to Serah. _It's a summon drive._

Serah examined the device. _But, I thought-_

_I don't have a body to go back to, no._ Noel turned to gaze up at the shifting energy, before a tiny smile crossed his lips._ But that doesn't mean that I can't go back for a while._

Serah's eyes widened as their surroundings began to blur, shifting back and forth in a dizzying swirl of energy and shadow.

Noel sheltered his eyes with his palm._ Here we go! Serah, Vanille, Dajh, are you seeing this?_

Vanille called out from the darkness, and while Serah couldn't hear it, she could sense the vibrations of Vanille's voice, and she quickly honed in on her location.

_Vanille?_ Serah stumbled through the shadows, which were whipping around her body at a rapid, fluttering pace. _Van-_ The darkness suddenly receded, revealing an ornate, shining gateway.

* * *

Sazh sat back in his chair, slowly twirling a pencil between his fingers. He let out a sigh, gazing up at the low, flickering light of the living room. "Dajh, you wouldn't believe it..." He began to sketch out an oval shape, which tapered down into spindly, mechanical appendages. "I think you saw it once, too." Sazh paused, and the point of his pencil lingered on a series of tubing that ran in and out of the machine. "Back at home."

A slight breeze brushed against the back of Sazh's neck, and he could hear a metal hinge creak as it opened.

"Sazh?"

Sazh's gaze lay fixed upon the outlines of his sketch. "Yeah?"

A pair of footsteps walked up to stand beside him, and Hope stared down at the drawing. "That's really good..."

Sazh shrugged at the paper, letting his pencil rest against the sketch. "What do you need, kiddo?"

Hope took a deep breath. "Oh, the ethereal bars... They're already near the point of a gaseous state; if we want to use the excess energy to our advantage, we'll need to make the jump early tomorrow morning."

Sazh nodded, and his brow furrowed in thought. "That was quick, wasn't it?" He closed his eyes, slowly rocking back and forth in his chair. "Think this ol' piece of work had something to do with it?" Sazh kept his eyes closed, but he tapped at the paper upon his lap. "It had a bunch of nasty critters inside; looked to be the one producing those bars, too."

Hope frowned at the drawing, before he leaned forward slightly to examine it. "Well... I can take a look through our confiscated databases; I'd bet it'll be in there, somewhere." He walked over to the couch, flopping down with a sigh. "We should get to bed, soon... It's gonna be a long process, tomorrow."

Sazh forced back a wince, and his fingers tightened around his sketchpad. "Can't say I look forward to dying, again."

Hope nodded, frowning up at the ceiling as he leaned back on the sofa. "From what Lightning's told me about it... It was like falling asleep, only to wake up in Valhalla."

Sazh exhaled, and his shoulders sagged. "I dunno about that." He relaxed slightly, still rocking back and forth with his toes. "It still feels like it was years ago, last time."

Hope sat up a bit. "You were in there for approximately six months, and Lightning and I only found you and the others after she'd gotten over the shock of-" Hope paused, before he slowly began to wring his hands together. "Um, let's just focus on the task at hand, okay?"

Sazh nodded. "Sure thing, kiddo." He opened his eyes a bit, only to narrow them at the sketchpad. "Sure thing."

* * *

Serah slowly stepped out upon the glittering pathway, and she gazed up at the sleek, spiraling archway that curled beside the floating platform.

_Pretty fancy, huh?_ Noel leaned back to stare at the materializing buildings, and he shook his head with a quiet laugh. _Not my first idea of a vacation site, but to each their own._

Vanille's eyes widened at the glowing streams of light that orbited around the translucent pathway. _I've never seen anything like it..._

Serah smiled at Vanille._ It's almost like the Ark, you know?_

Vanille nodded without another word, staring up at the archway. Serah rolled her eyes, and she had to tug Vanille along into the central courtyard while Hecatoncheir and Nix followed behind them. Dajh stared open-mouthed at the fluttering orbs of light, but when he tried to reach out and catch one, it burst into a cloud of shimmering dust.

Noel soon paused beside a pair of grand double doors, before he turned to face Serah and Vanille. _Okay, we're gonna need a key to Taejin's Tower, so just follow my lead, alright?_

Serah nodded, but before she could respond in thought, Noel kicked in the door to reveal a vast, circular room, which was almost entirely filled by a heap of mechanical plating.

As they walked out into the entryway, something shifted within the mass of machinery, and after a moment of stillness, a pair of pale, milky eyes blinked out at them from the shadows of the winding coils.

Serah gazed back at the winding, twisted creature, and her eyes widened with a silent gasp.

The serpentine machine quickly unfurled itself to look down upon them, revealing a shining, metallic body. Glowing tendrils of light lay speckled along the creature's metal hide, and a sharp, wing-like crest adorned its grand, silver head.

Serah looked deep into the immense, pearly eyes, and a single word began to resonate within her mind. _Barthandelus._

A deep 'laugh' echoed about the hall. _How very interesting; humans do not often wander into my domain... What could cause such an impromptu visit?_

Noel rolled his eyes. _Save it, okay? We're here for a key to Taejin's Tower._

Barthandelus narrowed his eyes. _What gall... Such arrogance could only originate from one of Etro's lackeys, correct?_

Noel shrugged, and he held out his hands with a smile. _Hey, I'm just helping them get out of here..._ He waved in Serah and Vanille's general direction. _You've got a problem with Etro? Don't take it out on them._

Barthandelus lowered himself to stare Noel in the eye, before he drew back with a flippant toss of his head. _What could cause you to believe that I have a key? Taejin's Tower is under Dahaka's domain, not mine..._

Noel smirked at the gigantic machine. _Don't play dumb; you snakes are all on good terms with each other... 'Buddies', you could say._ He leaned back, smirking up at the towering machine. _How about a deal? I'll owe you little a favor if you loan us a key._

Barthandelus slowly began to shift back and forth, fiiling about the numerous gaps in the room. _A favor, you say..._ He thought in silence for a while, before he snapped his head back to face the ceiling. _Menrva! A key, if you would!_

After a moment, a small, silver machine fluttered down from the rafters, clutching an octagonal stone in its talons.

Barthandelus turned away, and he slowly settled back down into a resting position. _Give it to the humans, and escort them from my domain._ The tendrils along his back flickered, waving gently as he coiled away. _I will hold you to your word, phantom._

Noel narrowed his eyes, but he caught hold of the key with a shrug. _No worries, snake._ He turned to smile at Serah and Vanille, before he tossed over the key to Serah. _Keep that close, okay?_

Serah gazed down at the tiny stone. _This is a key?_

Noel nodded as he walked off towards the door. _Valhalla isn't very literal, most of the time._ He stepped out upon the translucent pathway, before he pointed up at a thin, glowing beam that lay off in the distance._ Taejin's 'Tower', for example..._

* * *

Lightning lay curled up in her sleep, but her eyelids flickered away in the darkness, concealing a soft glow within. Fang began to smooth her hand along Lightning's shoulder, and she gazed down at her slowly moving chest, which rose and fell with each shuddering, labored breath.

"What are you dreaming about, Light?" Fang's voice was a near whisper, barely brushing against her lips. "That can't be good..." Squeezing her eyes shut, Fang let out a long, lingering breath, and she gently closed her fingers around Lightning's wrist.

* * *

She stood amid the churning shadows, and her eyes went wide as the darkness began to shift, gunfire roaring in her ears as she slammed back against a wall; sweat streamed down her face to dribble upon the gun clutched in her hands, her heart hammering in her chest. "Have you ever _fired_ one?!" She shook the shoulder of a young boy, glaring deep into his blue-green eyes.

His face was nearly covered in ash, and several tears streamed down his face as he stammered, struggling to respond. "What... What do you-" He jumped when a pistol was forced into his hands, and he stared up at the shouting woman, who began to fire back into the fray from behind their cover. "What- Who are you?!"

She narrowed her eyes with a hiss, soon drawing back with a blooded, ash-stained arm. "Lieutenant Lightning Farron! Can't say I care who you are, but I repeat, can you shoot that?!"

"My... My name is Hope!" He winced when an explosion rocked the crumbling building, and he clutched the gun with a shuddering cry. "I don't _know!_ I don't want to hurt anyone-" Hope stammered when Lightning yanked him forward, dragging him further into the dilapidated building, mere seconds before their cover exploded with a resounding burst of fire and shrapnel.

Lightning ducked beneath a fallen table, clamping her hand over Hope's mouth. "Not a word," She breathed, "That thing will _kill_ us if you scream..."

Hope trembled as he fought back the tears. "Please!" His voice was muffled by Lightning's fingers, but Hope continued as quietly as he could. "My parents are back there, we need to go-"

Lightning hissed, glancing back at the approaching footsteps as she hauled them both over to hide behind a battered wall. "Then they're already _dead_." She narrowed her eyes as a pair of heavy feet clomped along the battered floor. "Unless you want to end up like them, you'll do exactly what I say, _when_ I say."

Hope froze, and his eyes widened with a muffled cry.

Lightning snarled under her breath, and she forced her other hand against Hope's mouth. "You listen, now." She dragged them along the wall as the machine rounded another corner. "People die... They die real easy." Lightning froze against the wall, flattening her back to the concrete. "I once went back for _my_ parents, and you know what?" Her breath grew short as she inched them along the hallway, slowly climbing up a set of weathered stairs. "They were _far_ past saving... And I only lost precious time for me and my sister to escape."

Hope shook his head with a choked sob.

Lightning closed her eyes for a split second. "No distractions, not if you want to live... Are you with me?"

Hope kept still, and he nearly fell limp in Lightning's arms, before she slowly uncovered his mouth. "Okay..."

Lightning shoved the gun back into Hope's hand, nodding at him with narrowed eyes. "Eyes on your target." She raised her own pistol as she eased over to the corner. "Watch what I do."

Hope began to crouch beside the wall, his eyes wide as Lightning readied her firearm, taking aim at the back of the armored gunman, who was sifting through the debris within a lower level of the building.

Lightning squinted at the mechanical device that writhed within the human below. "First lesson, trigger discipline... Keep your finger _away_ from it, unless you're well and ready to kill." With an exhale, she squeezed the trigger.

Hope's breath caught at the earsplitting crack, as well as the sight of the thick, oozing blood, and his grip began to tighten around the handle of his pistol. "But, he's... He's a solider, too!"

Lightning glanced at her blooded uniform, and she glared down at the shredded patches along her elbows. "Not anymore, he isn't..." She spat at the corpse as it twitched, burbling out a concoction of thick, shimmering liquid. "You smell that?"

Hope's nose wrinkled at the scent of oil and chemicals. "It's _awful_..."

Lightning fired one more round to still the twitching creature, before she wiped off the sweat from her brow with a sigh. "You'd better get used to it." She took a few spare rounds out from the pocket of her vest, loading them with a quiet grunt. "Stick with me, and you might actually do so."

Hope watched as she strode further into the building, and he stole one last look at the seething, oozing machine, before he followed off after Lightning, completely unaware of the growing shadows that soon engulfed them both with a hiss.

Blue wisps blinked from within the darkness, staring out into the abyssal, churning depths.

"Always a protector..."

Lightning struggled to speak, but she found herself scattered, drifting along within the rush of whispering shadows.

"You taught him to be strong, didn't you? But your intentions were less than noble, at the time."

Lightning roared out with a retort, but her voice was soon lost in the wind.

"He was a tool, an easy target... Surviving only by sheer, _dumb_ luck."

Her fingers tightened into a fist, and Lightning suddenly froze with a snap, standing tall among a blank surface, her eyes wide. "That's a _lie!_" She strode forward, shouting out at the vast, empty realm. "He needed protection, yes... But I needed him, just as much!" Lightning paused as her words finally registered, and her breath caught at the sudden emotion that tinged her voice. "Serah, she was... I didn't even know if she'd recognize me, after all that."

A fluttering orb slowly appeared before her, bobbing up and down with a soft hum.

Lightning closed her eyes. "He knew, he _knew,_ just like the both of us..." She lowered to her knees, fighting back the trembling waver within her voice. "He'd lost them, too."

The orb dispersed, glowing gently in the fading light. "What progress..." There was a long silence between them, before a set of twin, green lights winked away into the darkness. "A gift, for your voyage."

Lightning slowly opened her eyes, and her gaze locked upon the long, red blade affixed within her mechanical arm.


	12. Chapter 12

Fang woke to the sound of scraping metal, and her eyes fluttered open after a moment, widening at the strange appendage that began to slide out from Lightning's wrist. "What the _hell_ is _that_?"

Lightning lay in silence, gazing up at her mechanical arm as the inner workings twisted and bent, allowing a long, blade-like weapon to take shape. "A 'gift', apparently."

Lightning's arm began to crackle with hidden energy, and Fang's breath caught.

"I was dreaming, I think." Lightning stared off into the distance as the blade extended, snapping out into a longer form. "But it was as if... As if I was someone else."

Fang kept silent for a long moment, before she narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, someone else?" She squinted along at the seemingly blunt sword, but upon further examination, she realized that a fine edge bordered the sleek, red metal. "Someone else... Like a different person?"

Lightning shook her head. "It was a memory of mine, but the woman who was experiencing it..." She paused, glancing up at the blade. "She was reckless."

Fang chuckled under her breath. "You _were_, back in the day... Don't you remember?" She examined Lightning's expression, or lack thereof. "Do you remember how we met?"

Lightning nodded without hesitation. "I haven't forgotten anything..." Her fingers curled upon her palm, and the blade retracted with a soft, metallic hiss. "But it's detached." Lightning closed her eyes. "I'm detached."

Fang's gaze dropped to linger around the bandages that lay beneath Lightning's nightshirt. "Just give it some more time, then." She stood up, stretching out her arms as she walked towards the bathroom. "Hey, you already _know_ what happens to those who turn..."

Lightning's eyes widened slightly, and her breath stuck to her throat.

Fang returned a moment later with a tube of ointment. "Light, you there?"

Lightning snapped back to attention. "Yes."

Fang sat back down on the bed to unscrew the cap off of the tube, before she squeezed a bit of the ointment onto her finger. "Strip."

Lightning slowly pulled off her shirt, but she winced when Fang pulled away the bandages, rubbing the ointment out into the puncture wound upon her lower chest.

Fang narrowed her eyes. "Still can't believe your lung is even _working_... I mean, really?" She watched as the flesh beneath the ointment began to slowly knit itself back together. "Even with this stuff... It was a through and through, for crying out loud."

Lightning shrugged, but she had to bite back a hiss when Fang applied another swab of ointment to wound on her lower back. "One of my captors mentioned something about my blood."

Fang nodded. "Something about the composition, you mentioned it too."

Lightning grit her teeth as Fang forced a bit of the ointment deeper into her wound. "He said it began to clot almost instantly-" She hissed, clutching at her discarded bandages. "And that they detected unusually high levels of-"

Fang suddenly snaked her arms around Lightning's shoulders to pull her close. "Enough, Light." She closed her eyes, breathing into the skin of Lightning's neck. "Something went wonky with your blood, made you heal even quicker." Fang tightened her grip, and she lowered her voice to a whisper. "When they'd bleed... It was thick, Light." She leaned back after a moment, slowly releasing her hold. "If you're really someone else, now... You'd better not start taking after your peers."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "We went over this already; I have no reason to attack you."

Fang shrugged, easing up from the bed. "I know." She smirked down at Lightning, before she gently poked at her forehead with a closed fist. "Just making sure."

Lightning released a long breath, glancing down at her mechanical hand. "There was a voice."

Fang tilted her head to the side.

Lightning narrowed her eyes at her arm, gazing along the intricate, swirling metal, which had taken on a reddish sheen. "It could see into my memories, too... Just like before."

Fang bit at her bottom lip for a moment, nearly pacing about the room. "If it was just a dream, I wouldn't worry too much about it." Her gaze lingered along Lightning's wrist. "But that doesn't sound much like an ordinary dream, huh?"

Lightning took a deep breath, before she rose to her feet as well. "Not in the slightest."

* * *

After a moment of stillness, Vanille's eyes went wide._ Can you see that?_

Serah glanced between Vanille and the thin pillar of light that lay off in the distance. _The tower? Yeah._

Vanille shook her head. _The energy... I've never seen so much in once place!_ She pointed all around the horizon, gesturing up at the swirling, gaseous air. _Don't you remember how rare ethereal energy is? We could power the Ark for years with a supply like this!_

Noel laughed under his breath. _Someone hasn't been in Valhalla for too long..._

Vanille narrowed her eyes at him. _I've counted at least a few months, mister!_

Noel shrugged. _Just saying... The stuff is everywhere, it practically grows out of the ground._

Vanille's shoulders sagged a bit, and she frowned at the horizon._ It's... It's almost like a rainbow._ She pointed up at the pillar of light. _All the energy is swirling around, and reflecting off of the main source._

Serah squinted up at the pillar, but she could see nothing aside from a thin beam of energy._ I can't see it. Sorry, Vanille._

Vanille shrugged._ I think it's got something to do with my eyes._ She pointed at her face. _Or where they used to be, at least... It feels pretty weird._

Serah nodded._ It's really strange, not being able to hear._

Vanille giggled to herself. _Consider yourself lucky... Dajh seems pretty excited about where we're going._

Serah glanced over her shoulder, and she nearly laughed at the way Dajh was pointing up at the pillar, chattering away from atop Nix's back.

Noel smiled as they walked up to a thin, translucent stairwell._ Up we go, folks._

Serah looked back at the path that they had been walking on, and her stomach sank when she realized that the metal road unraveled off, fading out into a endless stretch of darkness. _Is there any other way?_

Noel frowned a little. _Don't think so... You scared of heights?_

Serah shrugged._ Not usually... But most 'heights' aren't quite so bottomless, like this._

Noel glanced down, shaking his head with a silent sigh. _Yeah... Just keep your footing, okay? I don't even really know what goes on down there..._

A chill ran up Serah's back, but she only shivered for a moment, before she slowly took a step forward, holding her arms out to the sides.

Noel nodded. _There you go._

Vanille twirled along an upper step, giggling to herself._ It's not that bad!_ She skipped along the steps, waving down at Hecatoncheir. _C'mon Hecaton, let's race!_

Hecatoncheir lifted his head to trill at Vanille, before he leapt up to chase after her, hopping along the translucent shards with a catlike grace.

Noel rolled his eyes at the pair as they raced on ahead._ She's a brave one, isn't she?_

Serah nodded with a tiny smile. _Takes after Fang, I suppose._

Noel examined Serah's memories for a moment. _Ah! Pulsian, that explains it..._ He smiled up at Vanille, who had already reached the upper level of the winding staircase. _Wonder how it is, back there._

Serah raised a single eyebrow. _You're from Gran Pulse?_

While Serah could not hear it, she could see that Noel let out laugh. _Most foreigners tend to leave out the 'Gran', but yeah... Wasn't the friendliest place, I'll tell you that._

Serah frowned a bit. _Well, it's mostly wildlands, right?_

Noel nodded. _Survival of the fittest... Not really something you put on postcards._

Serah paused to examine Noel's expression._ Postcards? I thought you said-_

_I died before then, yeah._ Noel paused as well, gazing up at the pillar of light. _But there's more information here than most people will see in a lifetime... I've picked up a lot of modern stuff, you know._ Noel began to walk once more, but his brow furrowed in thought. _Haven't heard too much about this war you're talking about, though._

Serah followed after him. _I was twelve, when it started... They came out of nowhere, wrecking everything in sight._ Her fingers twitched at her sides, slowly curling into fists. _People, fused with machines... They'd lost all sense of reason._

Noel frowned to himself, but he kept his gaze forward. _I'll have to catch up on this._

Serah nearly laughed under her breath, and a bitter smile crept over her lips. _They finally manged to kill us, in the end... Almost everyone._

_But not your sister, you said._ Noel looked over his shoulder, gazing back at Serah. _She got most of them out, right?_

Serah nodded. _Fang and Hope were still out there, and I think that Lightning had some sort of way to communicate with Hope, at the time._ She shrugged, slowly easing herself up to a higher step. _I'm not sure how they managed it, but Lightning had some sort of camera... Although, she nearly dropped it after a while; she kept stumbling into stuff._

Noel took a deep breath, holding it tight for a moment. _Valhalla... It'll-_

Serah shook her head._ I know._ She glanced up at the stairwell, before she turned around to smile at Nix. _We should be there soon._

Nix kept silent, but Dajh laughed from atop her back, watching as Chocolina fluttered about the air in circles.

Serah nearly laughed as well._ We might even see your dad, soon._

Dajh's eyes widened. _He's okay?_

Serah nodded, stepping backwards to stand upon a metal platform. _He should be... Lightning brought him out._ She paused for a moment, before she turned, and her mouth parted with a silent gasp.

Noel chuckled at Serah's expression. _Greetings from: Taejin's tower..._

* * *

Lightning sat in silence as her gaze slowly tracked the fluctuating movement that streamed across the monitor.

"I just don't understand it..." Hope's fingers tapped about on the touch pad as he squinted up at the display. "We had them stabilized, but it's almost like-"

Snow's eyes widened. "They're _moving!"_

Hope nodded. "Exactly... But by all logical means, that just _can't_ be happening." He leaned back in his chair, covering his eyes with a sigh. "As the three of you were passing through the beacon that I sent out through the conduit, I set down a barrier around that entire area, so that they couldn't wander off by mistake."

Fang shrugged, gently swiveling in her chair. "Can we still get to them, at least?" She glanced over at Lightning. "You've navigated this dump before, right?"

Lightning stared up at the screen for a moment, before her lips parted with a sigh. "I have, but I never would have found them, had Brynhildr and Odin not been there."

A mechanical whirring suddenly broke the silence, and Bhakti began to turn in place. "I have reason to believe that they will join you, once more."

Snow nodded with a grin. "Stiria showed up after a while, and she helped me get my bearings, in there." He stared at the monitor, narrowing his eyes along a certain cluster of dots. "I'll bet that they can show us the way to everyone."

Sazh cleared his throat. "That's all fine and good, but what about our entrance?" He shook his head at the screen. "From what I've read about our little 'conduit', it's not just gonna focus on a single area." Sazh turned to nod at Lightning. "Last time, it was just you going in... What about us?"

Hope frowned at his feet, shuffling his fingers together. "I'll admit, I really don't know." He gazed up at the screen to ponder the dilemma in silence, before he shook his head with a shrug. "I can always send out another beacon to bring you out individually, should you get lost."

Lightning glanced over at the surface of Hope's desk. "We're running low on time."

Hope nodded, and he rolled his chair over to rest beside a certain object, holding it up with a tiny smile. "There you have it..."

Fang leaned in to examine the tiny, black box, which was covered with translucent wires that filtered in and out of the metal plates, causing a gentle glow to fluctuate within.

"Fancy, eh?" Fang wrinkled her nose at the orange, gaseous energy that billowed within a glass case upon the desk. "So you just pump that stuff in there, and we have liftoff?"

Hope nodded. "Pretty much." He held up the end of a flexible wire. "We should get you all set up first, to take advantage of what energy we have."

Fang's stomach turned, but she held her ground, nodding. "Let's get this over with."

Snow pointed at the hallway. "In here."

Fang followed after her friends, but her gaze lingered upon the box that Hope carried, as well as the churning energy that swirled within the glass case.

After they had all filed into an empty room, Lighting tugged out a folding chair from the wall, before she sat back, gazing down at her hands. "I'll go first, to demonstrate."

Hope nodded as he began to assemble the boxlike contraption into a standing state. "Someone get the rest of it, please."

Snow reached up to unfasten a case attached to the wall, before he took a handful of syringes into his hands. "Oh, how wonderful..."

Fang grimaced at the array of large needles. "Lovely."

Sazh shrugged as he sat down beside Lightning. "Now's not the time to start backing out on them, you know." He stared up at Snow and Fang. "I'm going in with Light."

Fang rolled her eyes. "It's not a race, old man."

Sazh chuckled. "At my age, everything's a race." He closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall. "Hey, maybe I can race Dajh around the Ark, after all this..."

Fang patted Sazh's shoulder with a tiny smile. "Hitch a ride on Brynhildr and you might just beat him."

Sazh smiled, relaxing into the chair. "I'm not afraid, Fang." He opened a single eye to smirk up at her, before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Not of age, not of death... And _definitely_ not of losing." Sazh closed his eyes once more. "Just put on a brave face for Vanille, okay?"

Fang reached over to squeeze Sazh's hand. "I will."

Sazh nodded, and he held out his arm with a grunt. "Sometime today, kiddo?"

Hope stepped back as the conduit flared to life, illuminating the entire room. "There we go..." He stared into the light for a moment. "Well, I'll just plug this into my control panel, and then we'll be all ready." Hope waved back at them as he walked out into the hall, trailing a set of wires behind him.

Snow pulled down a chair as well, and he took a deep breath. "Hey, Light? Before we go in..." He waited for her to meet his gaze. "If we end up in different places, just look for Serah, okay? Don't worry about finding me."

Lightning stared at the wall beside him. "We'll make do with what we get."

Snow paused for a moment, before he nodded. "Okay... Good luck."

Lightning inhaled, nodding back at him. "Same to you."

Hope returned after a moment, before he slowly reached for one of the syringes, clasping down a translucent vial into the device. "Light, you ready?"

Lightning nodded, unwavering as Hope walked up to stand beside her. "It's nothing that we haven't done before." She held his gaze, and while her expression remained stoic, she lowered her voice to a softer tone. "I trust you."

Hope nearly startled, before he blinked twice, nodding at her. "I won't let you down, Light." He pulled a tray over from beside the wall, and he handed over a camera, along with a small microphone over to Lightning. "Can't forget these."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... Hey, just how do those make it in there, anyway?"

Hope shrugged. "I don't know the specifics, but I would assume that the conduit can interpret what you consider to be your physical state of being..." He began to hand out a pair of the devices to each of them. "Which includes clothes, and whatever else that you carry on your person." He divided out a stock of shrouds between them, as well as a small satchel for each of them. "Just remember to think of these while you're making the jump."

Lightning settled back into place, the strap of her bag resting over her shoulder. "The ethereal's burning... Let's go."

Hope nodded, slowly lowering the syringe beside her left wrist. "Remember to relax, and just let it carry you."

Fang nearly lurched to her feet when the needle pricked deep into Lightning's skin, but she reined in the primal urge to rip the device away, instead leaning on edge as Lightning's eyes began to fall shut, her breath escaping with a slow hiss as her very life faded away.

"It's okay..." Sazh opened his eyes a bit as Hope pushed down a second plunger. "Fang, we're okay."

Fang bit back a mournful sound, seething as she watched Lightning fall limp, slumping back against the wall.

Hope walked over to Snow with a third syringe in his hands. "Are you ready?"

Snow grit his teeth, attempting to smile. "Lemme have it, bud."

Hope frowned a little, but he knelt down, gently pressing the needle into a vein along Snow's wrist. "Relax, okay? You're not going to make a smooth transition if-" He trailed off as Snow fell back against the wall, a strangled breath caught in his throat, before the room fell silent once more. "...Never mind."

Fang glared down at her feet, tightening her fingers around her knees. "Just do it."

Hope reached for another syringe. "I'm sorry."

Fang shook her head. "Don't be... We're all after the same thing."

Hope slowly lowered the needle. "I'll be there, every step of the way; my transmission might not make it through the entire time, but I have consistent a video feed, as well as sound-"

Fang closed her eyes. "Just _do_ it."

Hope bit back a wince. "Okay..." The needle pricked her skin. "Good luck."

Fang trembled as a numbing sensation flooded out through her veins, and her muscles began to periodically spasm, falling back with a quiet cry. "_Damn_ it!" Her vision nearly went dark, but her consciousness began to rumble in place, before it lurched out, winding about the room, only to swivel back, fading down into the depths of the conduit.

* * *

Lightning slowly opened her eyes, and her fingers began to curl upon the sand.

_We have little time._

A blurry form awaited her, but Lightning only hissed, curling up and away from the rough, maddening surface as she scraped out the grit from between her fingers.

_We should depart._

Lightning finally turned to face the 'speaker', and her eyes widened slightly upon recognizing the hazy figure. "Odin?"

The machine gazed down at her. _There is no point to this facade... We must act._

Lightning closed her eyes for a split second, before she stood up from the sand. "Let's move."

Odin trilled, bobbing his head back and forth._ One who understands! I now see why it was you that I was bound to._

Lightning clambered up to sit upon Odin's back, and she began to gaze around at the gray, beach-like area. "What are you talking about?"

Odin trotted forward, glowing from within. _We have much to speak of, but we can do so on the way._

Lightning nodded as she reached out for the glowing energy, wrapping it around her waist. "On the way to where?"

Odin only flicked his long, golden tail, metallic bangles clattering away as he did so. _In time, my friend..._ He suddenly surged forth, thundering against the beach as his hooves kicked up a continuous spray of sand. _In time!_

Lightning narrowed her eyes, but she couldn't help the tiny smirk that crept out upon her lips.


	13. Chapter 13

Fang woke with a start, her lungs shuddering as she struggled to right herself. "Damn, _damn..!_" She clutched at her head as her vision blurred, spinning in circles even as it evened out. Fang gazed around at a winding staircase, which was surrounded by floating brickwork, circling what she could only guess was the base of a tower.

A low hum echoed out from beside her, and Fang turned to see Bahamut, who had lain down beside her.

"Hey, buddy." Fang set her arm on his shoulder, slowly rising to her feet. "Followed me in, huh?"

Bahamut kept silent, but he stood up as well, gazing along the spiral staircase.

"Do we need to go up there?" Fang let out a sigh as she reached into her satchel, before she switched her microphone on. "Hope? Kiddo, you there?"

A muffled voice broke out through a haze of static, but Hope quickly responded with a soft laugh. "You made it through, good! You're the first that I've heard from, so far."

Fang tried to smile. "Yeah... Wasn't the _roughest_ ride I've ever been on, but it's definitely up there." She began to walk forward, glancing out at her surroundings. "Hey, is stuff _supposed_ to float in here?"

"Lightning reported similar phenomenon, yeah." Hope paused for a moment. "Okay, I just need to pinpoint your location so that I can send out a beacon if needed; can you try focusing on the signal that I'll send through by your camera?"

Fang removed the tiny device from her satchel. "Go ahead." She narrowed her eyes when a faint, flickering sensation swirled about her consciousness, but she began to concentrate, honing in on the signal.

"Great... All set." The sound of moving paper rustled through the line. "According to my records, as well as our geographical layout of Valhalla... Oh, that's not good."

Fang stopped in place, turning to face Bahamut. "What?"

Hope kept silent for a moment. "You're in the domain of Fenrir."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "What's that?"

"Not what, _who_." Hope let out a sigh. "Valhalla is protected and populated by various machines... Some more powerful than others."

Fang froze as a low, howling cry echoed out from above. "You said that Valhalla changes; is there any way to get out of here without a fight?"

"It's almost impossible to predict, Fang... Just keep an eye out, okay?"

Fang nodded to herself. "Okay. Any idea which direction I should be headed?"

"Take a few steps forward, please."

Fang did as Hope asked, and she soon stood beside a window-like gap in the floating bricks. "Damn..." She gazed out at a wide, swirling landscape of various curling metals, which formed a spinning tunnel of colorful platforms. "I don't think I'll be able to make it very far on foot."

"That's fine, just hold out your arm directly in front of you; thirty degrees to your left is where you should start walking."

Fang clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "_Lovely_... Thank you, Hope."

"No problem." Hope paused, before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Stay safe, okay? And call again if you need anything; I'll be watching your progress the entire time."

Fang held up her microphone, glancing at the battery meter. "Will do, kiddo. See you soon." She pressed a button on the device to power it down, before she tucked it away into a pocket in her satchel. "Alright, then." Fang turned to face Bahamut, clipping the camera to the collar of her shirt. "Lightning said that she could communicate with Odin... Was that a one time thing, or have _you_ been holding out on me?"

Bahamut only nudged at Fang's side, avoiding her gaze.

Fang laughed. "Buttering me up isn't gonna get you out of this, sweetheart." She patted along Bahamut's neck, rolling her eyes. "C'mon now... You can trust me, you know."

Bahamut trilled, and he waved one of his front feet at the staircase.

Fang sighed, but she began to walk forward. "Fine, fine... Looks like we only have one way out of here, anyway."

Bahamut nudged at Fang's back, gently pushing her along.

"Yeah, yeah." Fang smiled to herself. "I'm going."

* * *

Sazh grumbled under his breath as he shook out the dust from his overcoat, narrowing his eyes at Brynhildr. "Could've _warned_ me before pulling a stunt like that!"

If a mechanical horse could smile, Brynhildr was beaming as she gazed down at the ravine that she had cleared in a single jump.

Sazh rolled his eyes. "Think you're hot stuff, huh? Making a jump like that with a bum leg..." He frowned at the limb in question; one of Brynhildr's back legs was slightly twisted and fractured in certain areas. "We can't keep taking risks like that, you know."

Brynhildr trilled, turning to face Sazh with a snort. _Craven._

Sazh froze. "Was that-" He glanced up at Brynhildr's eyes, staring deep into her burning gaze. "Did you just..?"

Brynhildr paced at the dusty ground, tossing her head with a snort. _My rider was not always so cowardly._

Sazh narrowed his eyes. "There's a _big_ difference between brave and reckless!" He stared Brynhildr down, holding a firm stance as he looked her square in the eye. "I'm not about to let you compromise _our_ safety for a bunch of flashy tricks!"

Brynhildr kept still, before she tilted her head to the side, a twinkle of mirth within her mechanical eyes. _Excellent. We should move._

Sazh stood in silence for a moment. "What was that for, huh?" He rolled his eyes as Brynhildr walked up beside him, but he climbed up to her saddle with a quiet, wry laugh. "You don't have to test me, you know."

Brynhildr's gaze lowered to the ground._ On the contrary, friend..._ She started off into a trot, glancing down at their rocky surroundings._ That is our purpose._

Sazh raised a single eyebrow, but he drew out an orange energy from Brynhildr to stabilize himself. "What are you talking about?"

Brynhildr quickened to a canter._ I should not say... But Odin has a point._ She tilted her head to look up at Sazh. _We swore an oath, long ago, to bear and guide such Valkyries into battle._

Sazh scratched at his chin. "Valkyries?"

Brynhildr let out a quiet hum, almost a sigh. _War draws closer with every moment._

Sazh frowned. "What sort of war?"

Brynhildr closed her glowing eyes.

* * *

Snow leaned forward to stare down at the swirling mass of energy. "So, it's going to happen soon?"

Stiria nudged his side, pushing Snow away from the edge of the cliff._ Don't fall!_

Snow let out a laugh. "Hey, I've got good balance... Don't worry." He stepped back from Stiria, glancing her over. "So what's this about a battle?"

Stiria paced the area, her hooves clicking softly against the metal surface. _It's been foretold, even since before we were created... We all need to be ready for it._

Snow began to walk forward, glancing down at the abyssal drop beside him. "Sounds like a big event."

Stiria nodded as she followed behind him. _It's not just... A battle._

Snow raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Lightning closed her eyes with a sigh. "The end? Of what, everything?"

Odin galloped beside the water's edge, gazing out at the swirling mass of waves and energy._ Existence itself... The gods are more powerful than any of us can comprehend._

Lightning's mechanical hand tightened into a fist. "Gods..? If this battle's going to be so devastating, why are they trying to drag _us_ into it?" She opened her eyes, gazing down at Odin. "Why not solve it themselves?"

Odin kept up his pace, running down into the shallows. _The original one keeps them from it, locks them away..._ His hooves crashed into the glowing sea, sending out a wave of massive ripples as he surged forth, bolting atop the surface. _But they have found ways to influence the world._

Lightning's eyes widened, and she stared down down at the swirling mass of blue and green as they ran beneath a swelling, roaring wave, only escaping by mere seconds before it crashed down behind them. "Can... Can the gods speak to people?"

Odin shook his head. _Only a conduit can converse with a god._

Lightning kept silent for a moment, gazing out at the roaring sea. "Can a conduit be a person?"

Odin glanced away. _Yes._

Lightning grit her teeth. "I'm _already _fighting a war; I don't have time to fight theirs."

Odin tossed his head back, and for a split second, he stared Lightning in the eye. _I stand with you, and you alone... But I must warn you against defying such beings._

Lightning's breath quickened, but she leaned back, guiding Odin up into a sound-breaking leap. "We've _beaten_ the odds, so far!" Her heart leapt as they soared above the waves, and for a long, lingering moment, Lightning gazed out at the ocean below, her eyes widening with a sudden rush of adrenaline, before her voice came out in a soft whisper. "I stand with you, too."

Odin's legs drifted along in the air, before he finally came crashing down, racing out upon the surface once more. _We must find your sister, soon; she tampers with a power that she can barely comprehend._

Lightning's stomach sank. "What sort of power?"

Odin rushed forth. _Yggdrasil._

* * *

Serah stared down at the interlocking metal platforms, her breath short as she glanced along the crystalline branches, twisting out above the descending coliseum. _It's beautiful..._

Noel leaned back, sitting down upon the upper platform._ Just need to catch my breath for a minute, if that's okay._

Serah nodded, and she giggled when Vanille raced down below the branches, staring up at the flowing energy within.

Noel smiled to himself. _Taejin's Tower... Home of Yggdrasil._

Serah's eyes nearly fluttered shut, gazing up at the flowing blue branches as she sat down beside Noel. _So, who's Taejin?_

Noel shrugged. _There's not a whole lot of information on him... But from what I've learned, he was the being who once planted and cared for Yggdrasil, and he also created the dais that we're sitting on._

Serah looked down at the spiraling, inverted colosseum. _Was he like Etro? Taking care of his land?_

Noel shook his head._ Taejin was killed, long ago... You can't just kill a god._

Serah's brow furrowed. _So, someone like Barthandelus back there..._

Noel nodded._ Not a god, just an overgrown worm masquerading as something all-powerful._ He leaned back, gazing up at the towering tree, as well as the glowing pillar that stretched out from its trunk, reaching up into the sky. _In fact, his land is technically under claim of Lindzei, as well as right here, even. He just watches over it for her._

Serah knit her fingers together, narrowing her eyes in thought._ Lindzei's a god?_

Noel smiled a bit._ You catch on quick._ He took a deep breath, standing up from the platform. _Lindzei's also the one who killed Taejin._

Serah frowned._ Why?_

Noel glanced along the dais, bracing himself as the outer wheel began to groan. _Ready, now..._

Serah leapt to her feet, and she let out a gasp as the floor beneath her shifted, moving a short distance around the distant trunk of Yggdrasil.

Noel closed his eyes. _Taejin prophesied something that she didn't quite like._

Serah glanced around at the interlocking plates, before her eyes widened with a gasp. _It's a clock?_

Noel shook his head._ A timer._

Serah watched as Vanille waved up at them from beside the base of the tree, smiling along with Dajh as they sat beneath it. Serah tried to smile back. _A timer for what?_

Noel slowly opened his eyes._ Ragnarok._

* * *

Fang carefully stepped along the winding staircase, narrowing her eyes at the pillar above. "And just _where_ is this supposed to lead?" She winced when a muscle in her leg twitched, but she pressed on, climbing higher and higher into the tower. "Bahamut... Help me out, buddy?"

Bahamut hummed to himself, but he lowered once they came to an upper level, allowing Fang to climb upon his back.

Fang patted his neck. "Should be quicker, now..." She lowered her head when Bahamut began to walk up the stairs. "Think we'll find the others, soon?"

Bahamut kept silent, glancing back and forth as a low sound echoed about the tower.

Fang narrowed her eyes at the floating walls. "_Something's_ sure grumpy about us being here..." She sighed, stretching out her arms. "Be ready for a tussle, okay?"

Bahamut nodded.

Fang smirked down at him. "Always knew you were sharp." She patted along his neck. "Think we can make the jump down from here? We must be pretty high up."

Bahamut nodded once more, and he let out a trill when a soft light filtered down from above.

Fang followed his gaze, narrowing her eyes once the ceiling broke off into a swirling sky. "What is-" Her breath caught at the sight of a distant moon, which illuminated the darkened sky. "That..." Fang's gaze traced along the interlocking metal of the glowing orb, and she pulled Bahamut to a stop. "That's something else, huh?"

Bahamut's hooves unfolded into claws, and he let out a low hum.

Fang froze when a deep, echoing 'voice' rang out over the top of the tower.

_Piteous wanderer... Cast thy light._ The moon shifted, opening out into a floating form._ Hasten the divine's return._

Fang nearly leapt back when a whistling object pierced the ground beside Bahamut, landing with a deafening crack of red, pulsing energy.

_O piteous wanderer..._ The moon floated down, emerging as a jagged, metallic wolf._ I cannot allow you any further._

Fang narrowed her eyes at the massive, mechanical creature, which stood nearly three times the size of Bahamut. "I just need to get off this tower; we won't bother you if you _buzz_ off."

The wolf opened its mouth, and a low growl rumbled out, trembling down to the very foundations of the tower. _You misunderstand... I cannot allow you to live._

Fang quirked her head to the side, and she curled her lip back with a quiet laugh. "And just how do you plan on accomplishing that, fluffy?"

The wolf opened his mouth to reveal a set of long, translucent teeth, crackling with energy.

Fang shrugged, and she leaned aside to drop down from Bahamut's back, before she strode over to yank the long, metallic object out from the floor. "Fancy..."

The wolf began to circle her and Bahamut, pacing along the outer edge of the tower. _Even Etro cannot shield you, now._

Fang twirled the lance in her hands. "Etro?"

The wolf let out a laugh. _So oblivious... Have her servants withheld even such basic information?_

Bahamut opened his mouth with a roar, embers flickering out from his teeth to float within the darkness.

The wolf slowed to a halt, staring deep into Fang's eyes._ My name is Fenrir, and it is my duty to put an end to this._

Fang slung the lance over her shoulder. "My name is Fang, and I'm gonna whoop your furry butt if you don't stop being an eyesore." She smirked when Fenrir snarled, gazing along his tattered form. "Looks like you've been in more than a couple scraps, yourself." Fang lowered the spear, watching as twin prongs snapped out to form a dual, bladed edge. "This should be interesting."

Fenrir lowered into a charge, rushing forth with a snap of his teeth, but Fang braced herself, ducking down as she raised her spear with a shout, grazing the side of Fenrir's belly. A spatter of thick, glowing blood streamed out from the jagged wound, but Fenrir whipped back around, snarling as he chased after Fang, clawing Bahamut away from his side as he let out a bellowing howl.

Fang hurled her spear forward, but she winced as it only screeched against Fenrir's metallic hide, so she ducked back around, aiming for his softer belly, but she was knocked off her feet by one of his paws, and Fang fell back with a muffled grunt. She raised her spear, bracing her blooded midsection from another strike, but Fang was thrown back, crashing against the tower floor with a thud.

Bahamut wailed, ripping and tearing at Fenrir's side, but the wolf threw him off, charging against the horse-like machine with a deafening howl.

Fang struggled to her knees, and her breath caught at the sight of her shredded legs, gazing along the swelling pool of blood at her feet. "I... I can't die twice, right?" She attempted to stand up, but her muscles cried out in agony, and Fang could only stare down at her legs in shock, watching as the torn skin began to shift and twist. "What's-" Fang cried out when Fenrir suddenly crushed both of her legs with a massive, clawed foot.

_This world is ours!_ Fenrir twisted his paw, snarling at the gush of blood that poured out along the tower floor. _I will not allow such beings to defile it any longer!_

Fang's eyelids fluttered, her breath caught in a strangled cry as her arms gave out, falling to the ground. "I'm just... Looking-" She reached out at the air, glancing to the side to see her fallen spear, rolling precariously along the edge of the tower. "Looking for-" Fang's breath slowed even futher, and she watched the puddle of blood as it trickled out around her, before she glanced over at Bahamut, who lay on his side, struggling to reach her. "My family..."

Fenrir opened his mouth, baring blooded teeth. _It shall be quick._

Fang closed her eyes. "Not yet... Not _yet!_" She squirmed beneath the massive force, but her legs were unresponsive, trapped beneath metallic plates that were far stronger than any muscle. "I'm not _done,_ not yet! Get _off_ of me, you ugly son of a-"

Fenrir snapped forward, but in the instant that his teeth began to close around Fang's neck, time almost seemed to slow, trickling along as Bahamut released a steady glow, dispersing into a cloud of energy, and Fenrir's teeth closed down around nothing.

_What trickery is this?!_ Fenrir let out a roar, whipping around. _Show yourself, cur!_

Fang found herself on her knees, clutching the handle of a long, red spear. "_We're_ not done." She stood, rising up on twin, mechanical legs. "Not until Vanille is safe..." She glanced up at a pair of black appendages that lay along her upper back, and somehow, Fang knew _exactly_ what they were about to do. "Not until I'm dead and buried."

Fenrir narrowed his eyes with a snarl. _Your goddess has many tricks under her sleeve... A weapon, a steed..._ He watched as the black apparatus unfurled, revealing a purple, web-like material that stretched between each tapering limp. _A pair of wings._

Fang felt her very being steel itself, as if another consciousness had filtered out into her own, and her spear raised of its own volition. "Die."

Fenrir lowered to a crouch. _Tricks can only carry you so far... But can you fly on your own?_ He let out a howl, rushing forth.

Fang narrowed her eyes as an odd, thrumming energy flared from within herself, and she bolted out to meet him, thrusting her spear up and into the roof of his mouth with a wild cry.

Fenrir yelped, and he twisted his head back and forth as a thick gush of blood streamed out along his metal tongue, yanking away with a breathy howl.

Fang smirked. "Fly, you say?!" Her energy flared, swirling around her in a rushing whirlwind of light and color. "Think I can manage that!" Her wings snapped out, and her mechanical legs pushed off, riding the swell of energy up and into the air, her breath leaving her lungs as an abandoned, breathy laugh.

Fenrir slunk along the top of the tower, gazing up at Fang. _This is not over._

Fang flipped back in midair, her hair streaming behind her as she soared high above, their battle seemingly forgotten. It was only once she had landed, breathless and slumping against the outer base of the tower, did she lock eyes with Bahamut. "It's never over."

Bahamut looked down at Fang's spear, before his gaze slid over to examine her mechanical legs._ I grant you my blessing, when you should choose to utilize it is up to you._

Fang glanced over her shoulder, and she raised an eyebrow at her back, which was bare of her previous wings. "Always knew you were sharp..." Her eyes fell shut, her lungs heaving beneath her chest. "Haven't had _that_ much excitement in... Ages, at least."

Bahamut knelt down, nudging Fang's side._ I am sorry._

Fang slowly opened her eyes to hug around his neck, leaning into his metal hide. "Why? Whatever you did back there, it saved the _both_ of us."

Bahamut leaned into the embrace, but he kept silent until Fang had climbed up to his back. _We should depart._

Fang nodded with a sigh, and she turned to look back at the top of the tower, but it had disappeared into a shroud of mist. "What are you sorry for?"

Bahamut took a step forward, gazing out at the swirling pathway that lay before them. _Deception... Fate._

Fang raised a single eyebrow, but she kept silent as they walked out into the twisting tunnel, her fingers tight around the handle of her spear.


	14. Chapter 14

Bahamut stepped along the floating platforms, paying no mind to the seemingly endless drop that lay beneath them.

Fang shivered a bit as she glanced down at the smooth, coiling metal that lay where her legs once resided. She slowly reached out to trace over her thigh, before a sharp ring broke the relative silence.

"Fang! Are you alright!? You must've lost a _ton_ of blood when-"

Fang closed her eyes with a sigh. "Yeah, Hope... I know."

"That-" Hope paused. "Actually, a jump like that shouldn't have been psychically possible..."

Fang shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, kiddo." She looked down at Bahamut. "All I can figure is something weird went down; it was like I wasn't even _there_ for a moment... Actually, I'm still a bit dizzy."

"Well, it looks to me like you were able to harness some sort of ethereal energy; I'd like to run some tests once you get back to the Ark." Hope paused for a moment. "We should really get you out of there sooner than later; your wound is coming up on the display, and there's obvious trauma around where the metal meets your legs... Doesn't look like it was a very smooth transition."

Fang grit her teeth. "I'm not coming out until I find Vanille."

All was silent for a long while, and Fang nearly assumed that the line had disconnected, before Hope spoke in a low whisper. "Fang, I know that I can't tell you what to do, but as your friend... You aren't going to last much longer in there." He let out a sigh. "Not like that, at least."

Fang cracked a half-smile when a lingering howl echoed out from behind her. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Lightning gazed along the churning sea, and her fingers twitched beside the glowing energy that surrounded her waist and legs. "Odin... How can you tell where we're going? Where Serah is?"

Odin tossed his head back as his feet touched down upon the water, sending out an electrical charge to keep him afloat. _Nix sent out a line of communication as soon as I had entered Valhalla._

Lightning glanced over at the approaching beachfront. "So... They're all still okay?"

_For the time being._ Odin slowed to a walk as they approached the shallows, and he soon began to navigate his way up to a small fissure that lay upon the rocky shore, before he settled down beside it. _I need to rest for a moment._

Lightning rose up from Odin's back, and she walked over to stand beside the crackling fissure, before she knelt down to examine it. "This is an energy source, isn't it?"

Odin nodded.

Lightning slowly sat down upon the sand. "So, a line of communication... What do you mean by that? Can I 'talk' to Serah, from here?"

Odin turned his head to stare into the thrumming source of energy, and he began to slowly extract a thin strand from the fissure. _You have much to learn. _He shivered as the energy entered his chest, flooding his body with a pale, glowing light. _Valhalla is a realm based almost entirely upon the concept of thought._

Lightning watched as the energy began to swirl about Odin's body. "I started to hear things, after my arm and eyes changed." Her fingers began to twitch along the sand. "What _really_ happened to me, the other day?"

Odin lowered his head. _I truly do not know... I can only assume that they attempted to integrate you into their forces; there is much that remains unseen, even to even beings such as us._

Lightning narrowed her eyes, and she turned to face the crashing waves. "It's... So strange, now." She began to lean forward, resting her hands upon her knees. "I used to have this... Sort of rage, always bubbling up from inside... But they took something, you know?" Lightning drew in a breath, and she nearly winced at the stale texture that had filled her lungs. "But now... It's just _gone_. Not only that, either."

Odin turned to face her. _What else?_

Lightning slowly closed her eyes. "When I'd look at Fang, I would feel..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "A sense of love, I think." Lightning gently chewed at her bottom lip. "When I find Serah, I'll know for sure."

Odin glanced down at the fissure, which had nearly grown dark. _We should keep moving._

Lightning rose to her feet, but her gaze was distant, lingering upon the churning waves. "I want you to promise me something, Odin."

Odin walked forward to nuzzle at her shoulder.

"If I ever _really_ turn, and if I ever try to hurt any of them..." Lightning's right hand tightened into a fist. "You'll put an end to it." She turned to face the mechanical creature, staring deep into his multiple, glowing eyes, her voice a near whisper. "You'll kill me."

Odin kept silent for a long moment, before he stepped forward to hook his head over Lightning's shoulder. _I promise._

Lightning closed her eyes. "Then... That's all I'll ask of you." Slowly, her expression began to twitch, and Lightning wrapped her arms around Odin's neck, lowering her face to hide the thin trail of liquid that burned down her cheek.

* * *

Sazh leaned back upon the saddle, and he tilted his head to examine the winding trail that stretched out before them. "Haven't we already been through here?"

Brynhildr let out an odd sound, nearly a hiss. _No. I know where to go._

Sazh shrugged, gazing around at the sharp, jagged cliffs. "Okay... Little strange, isn't it?" He pointed up at the canyon walls. "I mean, you'd think Valhalla wouldn't have stuff like this."

Brynhildr kept silent.

Sazh reached into his pocket to retrieve his microphone. "Almost forgot... We should check in with Hope, you know?" He winced when the device let out a ragged screech, before it evened out into near silence. Sazh cleared his throat. "Hey, Hope, you there?"

"Sazh!" Hope's voice crackled over the line. "Good to hear from you... Can you activate your camera, too?"

Sazh reached for the second device. "Will do, but there isn't much to see right now."

Hope let out a wry, yet quiet laugh. "Not if you end up like Fang..."

Sazh's eyes widened. "What happened?" His fingers tightened around the tiny camera. "Is she alright?"

Hope let out a sigh. "If you can knock some _sense_ into her, she might be." He paused for a moment, and Sazh could almost hear the desk chair swiveling beneath him. "She ran into some trouble, and lost a _ton_ of blood... Both of her legs at once, Sazh! I've never even _heard_ of a transition happening so fast."

Sazh nodded with a sigh. "Patch me through to her if you can, and can you pinpoint her location?"

"Yeah." Hope paused for a moment. "Just head slightly left from your current location... I'll work on getting a line of communication established, but it's going to take up a lot more energy than we accounted for."

Sazh glanced up as they approached an intersection, and he smiled when Brynhildr walked down into the left-bound path. "Well, if worst comes to worst... We can always land the Ark for a while."

"I'm not sure if I can do it alone."

Sazh shook his head while he clipped the tiny camera to the collar of his jacket. "Hey, no doubting yourself, now..." He gently kicked at Brynhildr's sides, urging her forward. "We _need_ you at the helm, kiddo; I know you can handle anything we throw at you."

"Thanks, Sazh... But I'm not sure if inspirational speeches can really contend with landing a massive, multimillion dollar airship, all of which was designed to be piloted by _ten_ trained professionals..."

Sazh grinned to himself. "All of which _you_ managed to jail-break, when you were what, fourteen? You'll be fine with Bhakti's help." He glanced up at the winding path. "And hey, once we get Vanille back..."

Hope let out a quiet sigh. "Yeah... I never really realized just how difficult it is without a third operator."

Sazh lowered the microphone a bit to examine the battery meter. "I'm gonna close us out for now, just to stay on the safe side, but you let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay." Hope paused. "Thank you, Sazh."

Sazh smiled a bit. "No problem, kiddo."

* * *

Snow made his way along the cliffside, gazing out into the massive field of energy that lay just ahead. "What is that stuff? Some sort of ethereal?"

Stiria attempted to steer him away from the crackling mass, shaking her head. _It's probably dangerous to you!_

Snow couldn't help but stare into the swirling clouds, and his eyes widened when his hands began to open of their own volition. "It doesn't feel..." He took a step forward, walking closer towards the soft, gray glow. "It feels familiar, actually."

Stiria paced back and forth. _We should really keep going... _She let out a low hum as Snow made his way up to the energy field. _Serah should be close._

Snow halted in his tracks, quickly turning to face Stiria. "Really? Where is she?" He walked over to haul himself atop Stiria's saddle, but his gaze lingered along the glowing streams of energy, before shook his head and reached into the satchel at his side. "Oh, just let me give Hope a call, first."

Stiria began to walk forward, making her way along a gap within the field.

"Snow?" Hope's voice was muffled slightly by static. "Snow, you there?"

Snow smiled at the microphone that lay in his palm. "Hey, bud... Yeah, the ride was a bit bumpy, but I made it through."

"That's good to hear." Hope paused, and Snow could nearly hear the drumming of his fingers against the desk. "Everyone's accounted for, then... Except for Lightning."

Snow frowned a bit, but he tried to keep his voice clear of worry. "Eh, she's probably just off playing soldier again." He leaned back, gazing up at the swirling archway of energy that surrounded them. "But she's real tough... I wouldn't start panicking if I were you."

Hope let out a sigh. "Well, Fang ran into something nasty... And Bahamut did something _real_ weird."

Snow raised a single eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Hope kept silent for a moment. "Maybe I shouldn't over-analyze it, but... Valhalla just continues to keep surprising me!" He paused again. "I've already read up quite a bit on the theory of dematerialization, but I don't think anyone has ever _truly_ proven it, outside of teleportation physics, of course."

Snow's brow furrowed. "Okay... What happened, exactly?"

"Bahamut... 'Disappeared', for a moment. Fang, too." Hope paused again. "The video feed just cut out for a while, and after a moment, Fang started to _fly_... I don't even know how she managed it, really."

Snow tilted his head to the side, gazing around at the seemingly endless tunnel that lay before them. "I don't know what to tell you, but I'm starting to wonder about certain things." He paused with a frown. "It almost feels like something's happening, all around us, but I just can't tell _what_..."

"I can't either, Snow." Hope kept silent for a short moment, before he spoke in a slightly calmer tone. "If you could get your camera feed up and running, I'd really appreciate it."

Snow nodded to himself. "Will do."

"Stay safe, Snow... Just call if you need anything."

* * *

Fang's eyelids began to droop as she clutched at her spear, leaning forward in the saddle. "Bahamut... I ever tell you exactly what they did to 'em all?" Her voice began to slur, blending in with a string of breathy gasps. "Legs... The muscles, bad for running, they said... Better to cut 'em off 'fore they do it for-" Fang slumped to the side, but she reached over to clutch along Bahamut's neck. "Go find little Vanille, won't you, please... See how good _their_ legs are when we all run off together, eh?"

Bahamut let out a low hum as he slowed to a walk.

Fang reached down to grasp at the base of her left leg, wincing when her fingers touched upon a patch of welling, thickened blood. "No, can't even _run_ anymore." She suddenly started to laugh, but her voice broke as she toppled off to the ground. "They're..." Fang wheezed. "Just too _many_, Bahamut..."

Bahamut began to pace around her fallen form, nudging at Fang's side with a whimpering series of trills.

"Please, just gotta rest." Fang reached up to clutch at her head, and she began to squint at the spear that lay on the ground beside her. "Where'd it even..?" Her eyes fell shut, and Fang let out a ragged sigh.

* * *

Vanille sat down beside the truck of the great tree, and her fingers slowly curled against the rough, crystalline bark. Her brow furrowed in concentration, before she closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the fresh, swirling air that surrounded both herself and Hecatoncheir.

_You have a gift, you know._

Vanille's eyes flew open, and she glanced around, but both Noel and Serah were walking off in the distance, while Nix followed behind them with Dajh still on her back.

_Is it really so surprising? I believe that you have always had it, even if you were unaware._

Vanille's fingers lay splayed out upon the bark, and she gasped as a pale, orange glow enveloped her hands, slowly trickling out into her arms.

Hecatoncheir tilted his head to the side. _Our bond was not chosen at random._

Vanille's fingers curled upon her palm, and she held the flickering glow deep within. _It feels... Alive._

Hecatoncheir moved to rest his head upon Vanille's lap, closing his eyes. _It is, in a way._

Vanille reached over to stoke along Hecatoncheir's neck, to which the mechanical horse let out a soft hum.

_That feels nice._ Hecatoncheir's ears flicked back, swiveling in place. _You seem unsurprised._

Vanille smiled a bit. _Well, I always knew you were smart enough to talk... I built Bhakti, after all._

Hecatoncheir let out a long, trilling whine. _I fear that the little one has grown on me..._

Vanille giggled. _He's pretty dapper, for a machine._ She tipped her head back to stare into the winding branches, gazing along at the twinkling leaves. _But I suppose it's not so surprising, as you said._

Hecatoncheir kept silent.

Vanille's gaze traveled along the translucent foliage. _Why keep it a secret?_

Hecatoncheir's ears twitched. _An oath._

Vanille gently tugged at Hecatoncheir's mane, winding her fingers into the metallic wires. _An oath for what?_

Hecatoncheir let out another whine. _The details are unimportant at present... Please let it go._

Vanille frowned. _You shouldn't keep secrets, you know._ She turned to look at Serah, who was slowly walking along the outer dais. _If Lightning knew about it, she'd probably flip..._

Hecatoncheir tipped his head to the side, before he began to stand up from the floor. _A good leader will place the betterment of the whole before personal quarrels._

Vanille shrugged, and she watched as Hecatoncheir rose to his feet. _Did you even see her when she came in to get us? _She frowned further, glancing down at her hands. _If she hadn't gotten one of these, herself... I might think that she'd be upset with us once we got back._

Hecatoncheir raised his head high, and he trilled over at Nix, before he began to walk forward along the inner dais. _Not all machinery is the same... Never forget that, Vanille._

Vanille kept silent, and she could only watch as the glowing energy flared within her hands, coiling further within the metal itself.

* * *

Lightning walked along the beachfront, glancing back over her shoulder every so often. "Are you going to be alright?"

Odin straightened his stance, before he trotted up to walk beside her. _Yes._

Lightning's glanced down at Odin's hooves. "You did something, with the water."

Odin shook his head. _Water? No... Liquid energy._

Lightning's eyes widened slightly, and she turned her head to gaze at the roiling sea. "Ethereal?"

Odin blinked once. _That is what you call it, yes._

Lightning turned back to face the sand, glancing up at the winding dunes. "How far do we have to go, now?"

Odin stepped forward. _We can utilize Valhalla as it changes..._ He suddenly disappeared into seemingly nowhere, only peeking out of a nearly indistinguishable passage to usher Lightning forward. _A shortcut, if you will._

Lightning walked to the side, narrowing her eyes at the unusual pathway that lay within the sand. "Okay... How is this even possible?" She took a step forward, and she couldn't help but shiver as a foreign sensation rippled through her skin, bleeding out into her veins. "Wait... What is that?"

Odin paused, and he tipped his head back. _The energy._ He gestured at his saddle, waiting for Lightning to climb up to his back. _Your flesh is receptive to it, it would seem._

Lightning tried to keep her fingers from trembling as she drew out the stabilizing energy from within Odin's saddle, slowly wrapping it around her waist. "I'm not even all that surprised, you know?" She winced as Odin trotted forward, and she attempted to ignore the sudden chill that ran up her spine. "So much about this place is unusual; I think I've already adjusted to it all."

Odin shook out his mane, his hooves clattering against the metal pathway that wound about an massive stretch of churning energy. _A survival trait, I am sure._

Lightning's upper lip curled. "One of my better talents, I'm told."

Odin only let out a quiet hum, making his way along the path.

* * *

Fang blinked up at the drifting sheets of metal, her arms splayed out beside her. "I need to-" She winced as she sat up to reach for her leg, clutching along the base of her upper thigh. "Ah, damn it all!" Something nudged at her back, and Fang let out a quiet hiss. "Just not my lucky day, huh?" She turned to see Bahamut, who had already leaned forward to hum against her shoulder.

Fang closed her eyes, gently placing her fingers against Bahamut's snout. "Okay, buddy... We should probably get moving."

Bahamut only stared off into the distance, until his ears flicked back, and he raised his head with a sharp cry.

Fang winced, rubbing at her own ears as she opened her eyes again. "What was _that_ for?"

Bahamut began to pace back and forth, nudging at Fang's side. _Yes, yes! We should depart with haste!_

Fang narrowed her eyes at Bahamut's frantic movement, but her breath caught as a low, droning howl rang out over the floating platforms. "Oh..." She paused, stumbling to her feet. "Fluffy's still ticked off at us, huh?"

Another howl joined the first, and Fang's blood ran cold, a shiver traveling up her spine as a third, haunting cry echoed throughout the winding tunnel.

* * *

Serah glanced down at the tiny stone lay that upon her palm, and she began to close her fingers around it, holding it tight. _So... What do we do now?_

Noel turned to gesture at the tree. _We open it._

Serah tilted her head to the side. _Open... A tree?_

Noel smirked to himself._ It does sound a little weird when you put it like that, yeah._ He took a step forward, but his eyes narrowed when the shadows beneath him suddenly scattered, fleeing along the dais to disappear into the darkness below.

Serah's breath began to slow, and she slowly rose to her feet. _Do you feel that..?_ Her eyes widened. _Noel, what is that?!_

Noel swallowed back a curse. _Serah, get your bow._

Serah held back a shiver, before her mechanical arm snapped out, and she reached for an arrow.

Noel drew both of his weapons at once, lowering himself into a defensive stance. _Vanille, look alive!_

Vanille glanced over her shoulder, and she raised a single eyebrow at Noel. _Why..?_ Her breath caught at a deep, creaking sound, before she raced to her feet, darting out from beneath the great tree.

Noel rushed forward, his dual weapons held out beside him with a silent snarl. _Dajh, use that shroud, now!_

Serah's arrow sang as it flew through the air, before it clashed directly into the mechanical eye of a massive, coiling serpent.


	15. Chapter 15

A tiny flare of energy appeared off in the distance, and Fang narrowed her eyes at the platforms beneath her, before she shook her head with a sigh. "Feels like we've already passed by this part, doesn't it?"

Bahamut kept silent, save for the clatter of his hooves against the metal below.

Fang reached into her satchel, and she soon gripped a shroud in one hand, with her microphone in the other. "Hey, Hope? I might need a little backup, here..." She winced when yet another howl sounded off in the distance.

"Good to hear from you again; backup's already on the way." Hope paused, and Fang could hear the faint hum of a mechanical device in the background.

"I may have a suggestion."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "Bhakti? I'm listening."

"From what I could discern from your video stream, Bahamut managed to... Fuse, with you, somehow." Bhakti paused for a moment, chattering quietly. "Perhaps the same action could be taken once more to speed up your journey?"

Fang glanced down at the galloping machine. "You heard him, right?"

Bahamut flicked his ears back. _Incarnate c__oalescence__._

Fang tiled her head to the side, before she glanced back over her shoulder. "Whatever it is, can we do it again?"

Bahamut suddenly veered off into a different direction, leaping up to race along another winding series of platforms. _Yes, but it will drain even more of both your energy, and mine._

Fang's eyes widened slightly. "That's why I passed out for a bit?"

Hope spoke up. "Are you talking to... Bahamut?"

Fang nodded to herself. "Yeah... He's not really 'talking' out loud, though." She looked up at the swiveling shards of metal that floated above, before she narrowed her eyes at the glowing horizon. "Just how far would you guys say am I from Vanille and the others?"

"According to our graphical representation of Valhalla..." Bhakti hummed for a moment. "You are currently traveling within a wide lapse of physical content, but your video feed seems to tell a different story."

Fang glanced down at the metallic platforms, and she squinted to examine the faint, swirling energy that lay beneath them. "Yeah, pretty freaky."

Hope spoke again, but the sound of rustling paper muffled his speech slightly. "I think you might be able to take advantage of the shifting terrain; if you see an area start to twist, or distort... You could always try walking into it."

Fang let out a sigh. "But that might take me somewhere even further, right?"

"Unfortunately." Hope fell silent as a loud howl echoed throughout out area. "Is that..?"

Fang nudged at Bahamut's sides. "We'd better hurry it up, bud."

Bahamut continued to gallop along, flicking his black tail in time with each stride he took.

Fang leaned back after a moment, glancing over her shoulder once more. "On second thought..."

A faint, yet steady clatter of mechanical footfalls began to sound in the distance, drawing closer with each passing moment.

Fang closed her eyes with a quiet hiss. "Hope, I'll have to get back to you later." She shut down the device before he could protest, stuffing it back into her pocket. "Bahamut, get ready for another tussle!"

Bahamut said nothing, but he flicked his ears to the side as Fang tightened her grip around her spear, narrowing her eyes at the horizon.

* * *

The winding path stretched upward, twisting in on itself as it delved deep into a swirling field of energy.

Lightning's muscles began to jump beneath her skin, flexing as a series of quivers roared through her blood, and she closed her eyes with a quiet snarl.

"An interesting composition, indeed."

Lightning's eyes flew open, and she whipped her head around, but she could find nothing amiss. "Odin... Did you hear that?"

Odin's ears swiveled back and forth. _Hear what?_

Lightning's lips pressed together, the skin around her eyes creasing as she narrowed them. "A voice."

Odin lowered his head to press further through the thick swarm of crackling energy. _I have not._

Lightning slowly turned to the side, and she winced at the overpowering brightness of the energy field. She soon raised both hands to shield her eyes, but her feet suddenly touched down upon an unfamiliar surface, and her eyes opened with a rough gasp.

"A rarity, for sure." Green orbs spun slowly within the blinding white. "Can a human mind even begin to comprehend such feats of probability?"

Lightning glanced down after a moment of silence, and she found herself floating within a blank, bristling stretch of light. "What is all of this?" Her lip curled in a snarl, before she turned to face the voice. "What the _hell_ do you want with me?!"

"What do _you_ want?"

Lightning froze, and a warm, gentle breath caught in her throat as her mind raced back, retreating deep into far simpler framework.

Two figures stood beside a window, gazing out over the sleepy city. Their hands were placed over each other, her eyes half-lidded, even while the scene shifted, distorting as a blooming fire spread out to cover the streets, rising up to consume her, and her surroundings with a crackling roar.

"A loss, was it not?" The voice paused, suddenly soft. "A gentle lie, to hide all it away."

Lightning suddenly stood very small, and her arms began to tighten around her chest, threatening to break down at any moment into wracking, encompassing sobs.

"But you... _You_ held on."

Small fingers curled around the handle of a knife, blood dribbling down from the blade as her free hand gripped the shoulder of one even smaller, dragging them both away from the bellowing flames. A swarm of shadows welled up to cloak the pair in darkness, shielding them from the sweltering fire.

Lightning took a step forward, and the crimson blade left her arm with a quiet snap. "I don't know what you are." She stared deep into the swirling abyss, and her lips narrowed into a thin line. "But I'm going to let you know, _right_ now..." Lightning held up her arm so that her blade was pointed directly between each fluttering orb. "Keep dredging this stuff up, and you and I are going to have a problem."

A chuckle sounded out over the void as blackened lips twitched into a smile. "Will we?"

Lightning kept silent, breathing out as the brightness began to face, slowly leaving her laying face up upon a winding, metallic surface.

Multiple, glowing eyes stared down at her. _Are you awake, now? What happened?_

Lightning reached up to touch the side of Odin's face with her metallic fingertips, wincing at the solid pain that twinged along her spine. "I'm not sure."

* * *

Glistening scales crashed down against the metal surface, revealing a wide, gaping mouth, crowned by layer upon layer of sleek, curved teeth.

Noel narrowed his eyes, but his upper lip began to curl with a quiet snort. _Just our luck..._

The serpent let out a deafening screech, winding down from the towering branches to lunge at him, but Noel immediately threw himself to the side, simultaneously hooking the point of one of his weapons against the serpent's inner lip, before he swung himself around and thrust his second blade beside where Serah's arrow still lay.

With a screech, Nix rushed forward, and she breathed out a thick layer of frost as her hooves smashed down against the serpent's jagged scales, letting out a triumphant wail.

Serah's boots clattered against the metal dais as she broke out into a run, firing off as many arrows as she could between each frenzied thrash from the titanic serpent, but she struggled to keep her footing when the platform began to shift, groaning beneath the weight of the massive beast.

_Serah!_ Vanille moved up beside her, perched atop Hecatoncheir's back. _Climb on!_

Serah glanced over at Nix, who was still thrashing against the immense serpent, before she looked back at Vanille, extending her arm to be tugged up beside her on the saddle.

Once Serah had settled within his stabilizing energy, Hecatoncheir tore down the outer dais, and he soon galloped alongside the upper section of the serpentine machine.

_How the heck are we going to beat that thing?!_ Vanille urged Hecatoncheir to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the serpent's winding tail._ How was it even hiding, up there?_

Serah glanced over at the crystalline tree, before she shook her head. _We need to focus, Vanille._

Vanille steered Hecatoncheir over to where Nix was still stomping against the serpent's metallic scales, and Serah slowly rose to a crouch upon the saddle, before she leapt up, landing with a muffled grunt against Nix's back.

_Nix, let's move!_ Serah fired off another arrow, and she shivered under the intense vibrations that rattled her very body to the core. _Get me some distance, here!_

Nix let out a screech, but she tossed her head back, charging off into the inner dais.

The serpent suddenly reared up, widening out to reveal a long expanse of webbed skin beside its neck, coursing with veins of bubbling energy. _Trespassers!_

Noel clung to the side of the serpent's head, as his blade was still wedged into the outer layer of its mechanical eye. _Yeah, sure! You overgrown eels think you own everything, don't you!?_

The serpent began to twist side to side, thrashing about with a screech. _I am none other than the mighty Dahaka, and you will learn to respect my claim!_

Noel dangled in the air, and his his knuckles began to grow white against the handle of his blade. _How about 'the mighty Dahaka' learns to back off for a damn second?!_

Dahaka whipped his head to the side, dislodging the blade from his eye with a gush of thick, darkened blood, which spattered out into the air as Noel was sent flying, before his back slammed into the branches. For a brief moment he began to flail, toppling backwards into the tree, but he quickly reached out with his hooked blade, the metal screeching against the crystalline bark as it struggled for purchase.

_Noel!_

Noel looked down, and his eyes widened when Serah's human arm reached out, passing by him within a split instant as Nix's mane fluttered in the air.

Noel's mouth twitched upward. _Good catch..._ Their fingers brushed, locking on as Noel was dragged forward, and he landed next to Serah with a quiet wheeze, wincing when Nix slammed back to the ground, and they were galloping forward once more.

Hecatoncheir raced over to run alongside them, and Vanille waved from atop his saddle. Noel smiled at them both, and he pointed up at the writhing serpent; darkened blood still gushed out from the wide, jagged wound within Dahaka's mechanical eye, but the creature began to crackle from within, expelling a sudden burst of rough, billowing energy.

Noel's eyes widened. _Hold on!_

Serah's vision spun as they suddenly lurched forward, tumbling up into the air while Dahaka wound about them, hovering around the tree with a low, reverberating hiss.

Vanille clutched at Hecatoncheir's mane, and her eyes went wide and flickered as they began to float into the air, rotating about as the energy wave intensified, pushing them up to hover above the massive dais.

Serah's brow furrowed, and her lips parted with a silent gasp. _Nix, where's Dajh? He used the shroud, right?_

Nix twisted her head back, her hooves thrashing against the onslaught of swirling energy. _I believe so, but we cannot be distracted by-_

Serah glanced around, before her eyes widened. _Dajh!_

The little boy was hovering in mid air, and he held up Chocolina in his hands. _Flying!_ He began to laugh, twirling in circles within the field of energy.

Serah fought the urge to smile at his antics, instead reaching out to drag Dajh over to Nix's saddle, before she pulled him down to sit beside both herself and Noel. _Stay close, okay?_

Dajh looked over at the winding serpent, and his lips slowly creased into a frown. _It's scary, right?_

Serah nodded as she latched another arrow to her bowstring, but her eyes widened when Noel launched himself into the air, floating off behind them. _What are you doing?!_

Noel couldn't help but grin. _Vanille, give me a boost!_

Dahaka began to rise up beside them, silent bursts of energy flickering within his metallic body, but Vanille suddenly let loose the wires from within her hands, attaching them to the base of Noel's shoulders, and within a split instant, she threw her arms to the side, propelling Noel forward in a whistling crack of energy and steel.

Serah let lose her arrow at the very same moment that Noel crashed down against Dahaka's scales, and the combined force sent the serpent reeling; metal scales were soon battered away by a flurry of strikes from Noel's hooked blade, drawing forth a thick, liquid energy as it spilled out from within.

Dajh began to smile, and he raised his hands with a cheer, while Nix struggled to make her way forward without the aid of gravity, her spindly legs treading uselessly against the swirling air. Serah glanced between them, but her heartbeat quickened when Dahaka's tail began to sail back through the air, whipping about in a frenzied, lashing series of strikes.

Nix attempted to veer out of the way, but she was caught by her side, screeching as Dahaka's tail sent both herself tumbling back, as well as Serah and Dajh, who spun out into the air.

Vanille turned in place, and she began to reach out for them, but she was suddenly stuck by the very same force, which sent Hecatoncheir reeling away from her as well.

Noel looked back from his melee with the serpent, but the split-second's distraction gave Dahaka the opportunity to snap down upon the hooked blade, leaving Noel stranded in place.

Serah twisted around, and she reached out for Dajh, but her eyes widened when Chocolina began to shake, a soft, yet rapid glow soon enveloping her entire form.

_You've asked for it now, mister! _Chocolina let out a screech, zooming forward to slam herself into the side of the massive machine. _Mess with my friends, and you mess with the mighty Chocolina!_

Serah couldn't help but smile, and she took the time to let loose another arrow, wincing when the vibrations rattled the air around her. _Noel, you okay?_

Noel held fast against the handle of his weapon, grunting while he wrestled with Dahaka's steely grip. _Just fine... Wish I had my other sword, though!_ He landed a solid kick against Dahaka's chin, but it did little to harm the vast, metal serpent.

Serah pulled back yet another arrow, but she paused, glancing down at the winding pathway that led to the dais below. _Wait, what's that..?_

Dahaka suddenly released Noel's weapon, winding away with another blast of energy, which sent each of his aggressors tumbling back, floating just above the churning mass of shadows that lay below.

Vanille's eyes widened. _No..._

Dahaka wailed, releasing a final swirl of energy as he floated back down to the dais, and Serah swore that the machine was laughing as she hurtled back down from the air, the wind rushing against her skins as she began to fall alongside her friends.

Vanille flipped around in midair, and she let out a ragged hiss as her wires sprung forth, only just catching hold of the edge of the dais in time to halt her fall. She threw back her other arm, spreading out each cord of wire toward her friends, but Vanille's lungs deflated when both Nix and Hecatoncheir were torn from her grasp, their sheer weight slipping out from the wire grip near instantly.

Noel's wrist caught against one of the wires, and he winced, ignoring the sudden prick of blood upon his skin as he threw his other hand out to catch Dajh, nearly dislocating both of their arms in the process.

Vanille cried out as Hecatoncheir held her gaze for a fleeting moment, but the machine was soon surrounded in darkness, and he had disappeared into the swell of shadows within mere moments.

Noel let out a long sigh, adjusting his fingers to grip both the wire above him, and Dajh's wrist below. _Wait, where's..?_

Vanille began to sob while she dangled down from the edge of the dais, while her mechanical fingers curled tight against the wires.

Noel's eyes widened as he whipped his head back, staring down into the abyss below. _No... She didn't!_ A sudden prick of moisture stung the skin beneath his eyes, but he closed them with a silent shudder.

Vanille could only stare into the darkness with a perfect sense of vision, even as her eyes fell shut against the soft, green glow. The image of a falling body had soon burned itself into her mind, and a sudden, rapid flare of heat within her chest nearly startled her, but with a ragged, wild cry, Vanille wound back each set of wires into her hands, launching both herself, Noel, and Dajh back up to the dais.

Noel landed beside Dajh with a quiet gasp, and he slowly rose to his knees, but his eyes widened as Vanille raced down along the layered metal, twin wisps of energy flaring out from her fists.

Dahaka gazed down from his perch within the branches, and he let out a low, rumbling hiss, but when the tall, antlered form roared back at him from the base of the tree, his mechanical eyes went wide.


End file.
